Turkish banker to be released from prison July 19

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - An executive of Turkey's Halkbank is set to be released from a federal U.S. prison on July 19.

Hakan Atilla, 48, the former deputy director general at the Turkish state-lender, was arrested in March 2017 in New York for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Last January, he was found guilty by a jury in New York on five counts related to conspiracy and bank fraud but was acquitted of money laundering.

He was sentenced in May 2018 to 32 months in prison in the U.S. for violating sanctions on Iran.

However, the judge allowed the time he served after being arrested to be credited in the sentence.

He is currently serving out his sentence in the state of Pennsylvania, and is set for release on July 19, according to the prison's website.

According to a person familiar with the case, Atilla is being released from prison early for good behavior. He was scheduled to be freed on July 25.

Atilla's arrest came after Turkish businessman Reza Sarraf was arrested in 2016 in the U.S. for violating American sanctions on Iran.

He then cooperated with prosecutors and issued a testimony against Atilla, which was used to convict the Turkish banker.

Turkey has repeatedly criticized his conviction, calling it "politically motivated."