In Unprecedented Move, Turkish Banker to Testify in High Profile US Case

Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla, who appeared as the only defendant at a high-profile U.S. case in New York City for allegedly taking part in a multi-billion dollar scheme to subvert U.S. sanctions against Iran, will move to witness stand to testify at the court.

Mr. Atilla who worked at state-owned Halkbank and who spearheaded the scheme by exploiting loopholes in the U.S. sanctions will tell his own side of the story in the case which now entered its 13th day.

Though it is not totally unprecedented, defendants sometimes also appear at witness stand to tell their own version when the course of the case appears bleak and not promising for their situation.

Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab became a witness in the trial and testified for five days before cross-examination by Mr. Atilla’s defense attorneys.