Gold Trader Reza Zarrab Is Aiding U.S. Iran Sanctions Probe
Source: Bloomberg
By Christian Berthelsen and Bob Van Voris
November 28, 2017, 8:59 AM EST Updated on November 28, 2017, 9:43 AM EST
Reza Zarrab, a Turkish-Iranian gold trader at the center of an international corruption case, has agreed to cooperate with the American prosecution of a Turkish banker accused of helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions, a defense lawyer said at the start of the trial.
Zarrab is the U.S. government’s “most important witness,” defense attorney Robert Fettweis told a judge as opening statements were set to begin in Manhattan federal court. His client, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a deputy chief executive officer at Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS, is accused with conspiring with Zarrab and others.
Zarrab is likely to take the witness stand on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said in court.
The disclosure of Zarrab’s cooperation resolves weeks of mystery after the gold trader suddenly stopped participating in the defense. With the U.S. expected to present evidence of corruption at the highest reaches of the Turkish government, the case has riled U.S.-Turkey relations and sparked outrage from Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who claims the prosecution is a plot to undermine his country’s economy.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-28/reza-zarrab-will-testify-for-prosecution-in-iran-sanctions-case