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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon, Thread Video
Honduras - The Source - The Root - etc

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Oct 21 – Turkey's Halkbank was indicted for Iran sanctions violations and money laundering on October 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. On October 21, Turkey named convicted former Halkbank executive Hakan Atilla as the new managing director of Borsa Istanbul.

     This came after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Saturday said the SDNY case against Halkbank are "politically motivated," and Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak proclaimed that Atilla had "returned to his country and was reunited with his family after an unjust conviction." Call it doubling down.

    The UN under Antonio Guterres is entirely dodging the controversy, eager as Guterres is to get a second term by not offending either the US or any other power, especially China but also including Turkey.

     Meanwhile Guterres' partner the UN Censorship Alliance (UNCA) has half of its content consisting of defense of Atilla and Erdogan, whether on assaults on the Kurds or violations of sanctions.

    Here's from what the US Attorney for the SDNY said (to some) about Halkbank on October 15: "The facts that emerged at the full, fair, and public trial of Halkbank’s deputy general manager, which culminated in a jury’s January 2018 guilty verdict against him, illustrated senior Halkbank management’s participation in this brazen scheme to circumvent our nation’s Iran sanctions regime.  As alleged in today’s indictment, Halkbank’s systemic participation in the illicit movement of billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil revenue was designed and executed by senior bank officials.  The bank’s audacious conduct was supported and protected by high-ranking Turkish government officials, some of whom received millions of dollars in bribes to promote and protect the scheme.  Halkbank will now have to answer for its conduct in an American court.”   Inner City Press, with or it seems without the evenhanded assistance of the SDNY US Attorney's Office, will continue to cover these cases. Watch this site.