A former Turkish banker serving time in the US will finish out his 32-month sentence, but no longer, said the top US prosecutor in New York late on Thursday.
ATİLLA IS SET TO RELEASE ON JUNE 25
A bid for a tougher sentence for Hakan Atilla, former deputy CEO of Turkish state lender Halkbank, was rejected by the US attorney for the Southern District of New York. Atilla was sentenced this May to 32 months in prison in the U.S. for violating sanctions on Iran.
“The Government’s Notice of Appeal in the cross-appeal, filed on June 25, 2018, is hereby dismissed with prejudice,” said a statement by U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman, according to the report.
Atilla, currently serving out his sentence in a federal prison in the state of Pennsylvania, is set for release on July 25, 2019. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized Atilla’s conviction, calling it “politically motivated.”