US Witness: I gave 50m euros in bribery to Turkish minister

An American prosecutor's witness said yesterday in court he paid more than $50m in bribes to Turkey's Economy Minister in 2012, under a $1 billion scheme to help Iran, to avoid sanctions United States.

This agreement with former Turkey's Economy Minister Mehmet Zafer Caglayan, Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab, has now described in the process of court testimony in New York against Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla, Who is in charge as a collaborator of Mr. Zarrab in conspiracy, to avoid sanctions against Iran and to bribe public officials.

Zarrab, 34, who has claimed to be guilty of charges of fraud in this case and co-operates as the leading witness of the American government, has said he has been discussing the scheme to avoid sanctions with former Prime Minister Caglayan, by which he has used his bags full of gold to launder Iran's money.

“can help with this, given that the profit divides 50-50” has quoted Zarrabi as former minister Caglayan.

Mr. Caglyan is accused in this case, but he's still on the run. He has dismissed all charges.

Mehmet Zafer Caglayan was the economy minister when Turkey's prime minister was current President, Recep Tayip Erdogan.

He had resigned in 2013 when Turkey's authorities began investigating whether he and other ministers had taken bribes from Zarrab to help Iran avoid UN sanctions. Zarrab had been arrested in Turkey at the time, but Turkey's authorities had finally released him and dropped all charges against him.

US authorities have found that their case was taken by Turkish investigations.

US Assistant Prosecutor General Sidhardha Camarayu told the court that Zarrab had orchestrated the high-level conspiracy to help Iran bypass US sanctions and enable $1 billion income for Iran from gas and oil sales, moving through banking markets in the United States and global ones.

Zarrab, during his testimony, said he had encountered resistance when he was approached by an executive of Halkbank Bank, which is owned by the Turkish government at the end of 2011 or early 2012, to try to gain access to Iranian money.

This bank executive was afraid that Reza Zarrabi's personality, as the husband of renowned Turkish music star Ebru Gundes, would spur interest in transitions.

After that, Zarrab said he had met with former minister Caglayan, who told him that he would facilitate the way for his transactions, but only if he received half of the profit. Zarrab testified that the share of Caglayan was totaling more than $50m.

Reza Zarrab said he had managed since the sale of Iranian gas and oil in Turkey to buy gold, and then through couriers to send the gold with suitcases to Dubai, where gold was again converted into cash, which was deposited in a bank company's bank accounts.

The accused, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, 47-year-old executive at Halkbank, has said he is not guilty.

One of his lawyers attacked Zarrab's credibility, portraying it as “lying”.

Turkey's President Recep Tayip Erdogan, He called them. US authorities review “the decision to accuse former Prime Minister Caglyan, saying he was not committed to any wrongdoing, since Turkey had never imposed sanctions against Iran.

Ankara considers Iran an important trade partner.

Before Zarrab became the chief witness of the U.S. government, Mr. Erdogan had several times demanded that the United States release him.

His ministers have estimated that the case is “backed” and that the Zarrabi is kept “hostage” to force him to testify.