Hakan Atilla, 48, the former deputy director general at Turkish state lender Halkbank, was sentenced in May 2018 in New York for violating US sanctions on Iran.
“DUE TO GOOD BEHAVIOR”
However, the judge allowed the time he had served after being arrested a year earlier to be credited in the sentence, and his release today was announced earlier due to good behavior.
It is reported that Atilla was directed to a migration office for repatriation following his release. He is expected to land on Turkey next week.
When Atilla was convicted, Turkey blasted the verdict as “a scandalous decision in a scandalous case” and “a conspiracy aimed at complicating Turkey’s internal politics and intervening in Turkey’s internal affairs.”
Hakan Atilla’s interrogation video WATCH
Atilla’s arrest came after Turkish businessman Reza Sarraf was arrested in 2016 in the US for violating sanctions on Iran. Cooperating with prosecutors, Sarraf gave testimony against Atilla which was used to convict the banker.