Iran sanctions-busting case heads to a finish

NEW YORK — A New York criminal trial that has strained relations between the US and Turkey is reaching a conclusion.

Closing arguments are set for Tuesday afternoon in the trial of Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla, who is accused of helping Iran evade US sanctions and launder billions of dollars in oil revenue.

In this courtroom sketch, Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab, center, testifies before Judge Richard Berman, right, that he helped Iran evade US economic sanctions with help from Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla, on Nov. 29, 2017, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Atilla denies doing anything illegal and has testified in his own defense in the case.

The trial featured the testimony of wealthy gold trader Reza Zarrab, who said he paid millions of dollars in bribes to Turkish officials to carry out the conspiracy.

Zarrab testified he believed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally approved the sanctions-busting effort.

Turkish officials say that testimony was coerced and based on fabricated evidence, an allegation the US calls “ridiculous.”

— AP