04 January 2018•Update: 04 January 2018
By Ahmet Sait Akcay
ANKARA
Deputy Prime Minister and Government Spokesman Bekir Bozdag on Wednesday lambasted the final verdict of a U.S. court in the case of Turkish bank executive Hakan Atilla, dismissing it as “a case of political conspiracy”.
Bozdag, in a series of tweets, explained that the verdict had already been delivered before the investigation.
“The process of investigation/hearing was nothing but a mere completion of the mandatory proceedings so that this verdict could be pronounced,” he said.
The jury’s decision in the Zarrab case came as no surprise, Bozdağ noted, emphasizing that the jury’s finding Mehmet Hakan Attila guilty and the court’s verdict meant nothing for Turkey from a legal standpoint.
“Turkey is a fully independent and sovereign country. No other country can adjudicate Turkey and Turkey’s institutions. This verdict is against international law as well,” he went on to say, adding that Turkey had never yielded to any terrorist organization, including FETO, nor to the powers holding the reins of those terrorist groups.
“Turkey will not yield to them in the future, either.”
Bozdağ also spoke to private broadcaster Tvnet, saying that the present case provided clear evidence that there was politically motivated collaboration between FETO, CIA, FBI and the U.S. judiciary. “They have been caught red-handed,” he said, adding that all transactions in Turkey were operated in line with international agreements and UN resolutions.
On Wednesday, a jury in New York found Atilla guilty on five counts related to conspiracy and bank fraud but acquitted him of a money laundering charge.
The Foreign Ministry also called the decision an "unjust and unfortunate development".
The verdict by a panel of six men and six women against Mehmet Hakan Atilla, the 47-year-old former deputy chief executive officer of Turkey’s Halkbank, came after more than three weeks of testimonies and four days of deliberation.
