Turkish bank appeals Iran sanctions decision to US Supreme Court
NEW YORK, May 5 (Reuters) - Turkey's Halkbank (HALKB.IS), opens new tab asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court ruling saying it can be prosecuted for allegedly helping Iran evade American sanctions, a U.S.-based lawyer for the bank said on Monday.
The Supreme Court had given Halkbank until Monday to file a petition appealing the October 22, 2024, decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan allowing the prosecution.
In a letter to the appeals court, Halkbank's lawyer Robert Cary said the bank has filed the petition. The petition was not available on the Supreme Court's website. Cary did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Halkbank pleaded not guilty to fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges over its alleged use of money servicers and front companies in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to evade sanctions.
U.S. prosecutors said Halkbank helped Iran secretly transfer $20 billion of restricted funds, converted oil revenue into gold and cash to benefit Iranian interests, and documented fake food shipments to justify transfers of oil proceeds.
Brought in 2019, the case has been a thorn in U.S.-Turkey relations, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan calling it an "unlawful, ugly" step.
The countries' ties have soured in the last decade, amid disagreements on Syria, Ankara's ties with Moscow and other matters.
But on Monday, Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump each said they had a very productive phone call earlier in the day, and had invited each other to their respective countries.
Halkbank's case is making a second trip to the Supreme Court.
In 2023, that court said Congress' desire to shield foreign countries and their instrumentalities from civil liability under the federal Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 did not cover criminal cases.
But in a 7-2 decision, it said the 2nd Circuit should more fully review whether common law immunity shielded Halkbank, leading to last October's ruling.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Brazil's Bolsonaro takes the stand before the Supreme Court over alleged coup plot
Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro appeared before the Supreme Court for the first time Tuesday and denied participation in an alleged plot to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result as he faces charges that could bring decades behind bars. Many Brazilians followed the trial, which was streamed online. The country was shaken by the January 2023 riot in which the Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace were ransacked. The far-right politician, appearing relaxed, and seven allies were being questioned by a panel of judges over allegations they devised a scheme to keep Bolsonaro in office despite his loss to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. 'There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing," Bolsonaro said. 'Brazil couldn't go through an experience like that. And there was never even the possibility of a coup in my government.' The far-right politician admitted to discussing 'possibilities' with the heads of the armed forces following Lula's win, but within constitutional limits. He didn't give details. Bolsonaro's questioning lasted just over two hours. At one point, he joked with Justice Alexandre de Moraes — whose planned killing was part of the plot, the prosecutor-general has alleged — a contrast to the sharp words Bolsonaro has aimed at the court in the past. Bolsonaro could face decades in prison The defendants are standing trial on five counts: attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage and deterioration of listed heritage. A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years. A conviction on that and other charges could bring decades behind bars. The former president has repeatedly denied the allegations and asserted that he is the target of political persecution. When asked by de Moraes at the beginning of questioning whether the accusation was true, Bolsonaro replied, 'The accusation does not hold, your excellency.' He said that even if he had wanted to impose a 'state of siege,' the measures would have been different. 'There was no environment for it, no opportunity. We didn't have even a minimally solid base to do anything,' he said. The eight defendants are accused of making up the plan's core group. Justices are also questioning Bolsonaro's former running mate and defense minister Walter Braga Netto, former ministers Anderson Torres and Augusto Heleno and ex aide-de-camp Mauro Cid, among others. Judges will hear from 26 other defendants at a later date. The court has already heard from dozens of witnesses in hearings that began in mid-May. Cid, who has signed a plea bargain with the federal police, told the court on Monday that Bolsonaro read and edited a document that aimed at canceling the election result. Cid also said Bolsonaro refused to interfere regarding camps that supporters set up in front of army facilities calling for a military intervention after the election loss. Many of those followers were later part of the Jan. 8, 2023 riot. Police say their uprising — which occurred after Lula was sworn in — was an attempt to force military intervention and oust the new president. Prosecutor: Riot part of scheme to overturn election results Bolsonaro on Tuesday referred to supporters who were calling for a military intervention as 'crazy.' Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet alleges the riot was part of a scheme to overturn the election result. Part of that plot allegedly included a plan to kill Lula and de Moraes. The plan did not go ahead at the last minute because the accused failed to get the army's commander on board, according to Gonet. On Tuesday, Bolsonaro said he had learned about the plot, which received the sinister name of 'Green and Yellow Dagger,' when it was reported in the press. 'If it had been proposed, in my view, it would have been rejected, with immediate action taken,' he said. Bolsonaro, a former military officer who was known to express nostalgia for the country's past dictatorship, openly defied Brazil's judicial system during his 2019-2022 term in office. He has been banned by Brazil's top electoral court from running in elections until 2030 over abuse of power while in office and casting unfounded doubts on the country's electronic voting system. A watershed trial Thiago Bottino, a law professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a think tank and university, called the trial historic. 'It's the first time we see people accused of an attempted coup are being subjected to a criminal trial, with the guarantees of due criminal process, being able to defend themselves but answering for these accusations,' he said. The trial is particularly significant in light of the fact that Brazil's constitution was adopted in 1988, less than four decades ago, Bottino said. Brazil is showing that it has 'the democratic maturity to be able to use due process to investigate this type of accusation and, if necessary, hold those responsible accountable,' he said. ___
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Bolsonaro denies orchestrating Brazil coup in Supreme Court testimony
BRASILIA, June 10 (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denied that he led an attempt to overthrow the government after losing the 2022 election during his trial before the country's Supreme Court on Tuesday, but acknowledged taking part in meetings aimed at reversing the outcome. Bolsonaro said he and senior aides discussed alternatives to accepting the electoral results, including the possibility of deploying military forces and suspending some civil liberties, but he said those proposals were soon dropped. "The feeling was that there was nothing else we could do. We had to swallow the election results," the ex-president said. "I never acted against the Constitution," Bolsonaro added, holding a copy of the country's 1988 charter that re-established democracy after two decades of military rule. In March, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case against Bolsonaro and seven other people, including several military officers, who were charged with plotting a coup to stop Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in January 2023. The charges stem from a two-year police investigation into the election-denying movement that culminated in riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the capital in early 2023, a week after Lula took office. Bolsonaro, who was the sixth defendant to testify in the case, spent several minutes of his two hours of testimony defending his administration's achievements and his criticism of the country's electoral system. Dozens of witnesses were previously heard by the court, an indication that the case is moving swiftly and could be concluded by the end of the year, avoiding overlap with campaigning for the 2026 presidential election. Bolsonaro has insisted he will run in that campaign, despite an electoral court decision barring him from seeking public office until 2030. On Monday, Bolsonaro attended the trial to watch testimony from Mauro Cid, his former aide turned whistleblower, and then shook his hand. Cid told the court that the former president reviewed a draft decree that was central to the coup plot and made changes, while keeping a section that ordered the arrest of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is now overseeing the case against Bolsonaro and his allies. On Tuesday, the former president said he only briefly saw the draft decree and never edited it. He also apologized for making unfounded corruption allegations about Supreme Court justices. "Forgive me," he told Moraes. A final ruling on Bolsonaro's case is expected by October.
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
Trump likens LA protests to foreign ‘invasion' as Newsom tries to block him
President Donald Trump compared the Los Angeles protests to a foreign 'invasion' as California's governor asked a court to block him from using the military. Speaking at a military rally in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Trump said that he deployed 'thousands' of National Guard troops as well as Marines to protect law enforcement in LA. 'Generations of army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness,' said Trump late afternoon Tuesday. 'What you're witnessing is a full-blown assault on peace and public order.' Trump added that he would now allow federal agents to be targeted and or an American city to be 'invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy'. He insisted that 'that's what they are'. 'We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again,' Trump said. More Trending Moments earlier, California Governor Gavin Newsom filed an emergency motion in federal court to block Trump from using National Guard soldiers and Marines to support immigration raids in the city. Newsom argued that the troops' presence will encourage civil unrest and escalate tensions. 'Trump is turning the US military against American citizens,' wrote Newsom on X (formerly Twitter). A federal judge set a hearing date on Thursday on Newsom's request to stop Trump from using the troops. About 700 Marines arrived in LA earlier on Tuesday, on top of 4,000 National Guard members that Trump already ordered there. Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: Popular US remedy recalled over 'life-threatening fungi' with children most at risk MORE: Good Morning Britain star reveals painful injury after 'rubber bullet hits him' at LA protests MORE: Man arrested after 15 police officers injured in violent Ballymena riots
