Turkish Banker Gets Hero Treatment After Release From U.S. Jail

(Bloomberg) -- Turkey’s Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak gave a Turkish banker a hero’s welcome at Istanbul airport after his release from a U.S. prison.

Hakan Atilla, the former head of international banking at state-owned Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS, was convicted by a New York court of helping Iran evade economic sanctions on billions of dollars of oil revenue. Atilla served 28 months for his part in a scheme masterminded by Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab, who pleaded guilty on the eve of trial and testified against him.

“This is a great day,” Albayrak told reporters after greeting Atilla at Istanbul Airport along with Halkbank CEO Osman Arslan and Huseyin Aydin, the head of the Turkish banks association. “Thanks to Atilla, I have once again witnessed that this country raises such strong and good people.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also called him upon his arrival to welcome him, according to an official at the Treasury and Finance Ministry.

Atilla’s U.S. trial sparked outrage in Turkey, with Erdogan accusing American officials of trying to harm his country’s national and economic interests in an "international coup attempt." The Turkish government said the case relied on fabricated evidence given by followers of an Erdogan foe.

To contact the reporter on this story: Cagan Koc in Istanbul at ckoc2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, ;Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Paul Abelsky

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