Turkey's Halkbank seeks Iran sanctions case dismissal

WASHINGTON- Anadolu Agency

Turkey's Halkbank on April 12 urged a U.S. appeals court to dismiss a case over alleged violations of sanctions on Iran.

Arguing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Halkbank lawyer Simon Latcovich said US prosecutors have no jurisdiction over the bank, as it is immune under the U.S.' Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

The 1976 law defines limits on whether a foreign sovereign nation or its agencies may be sued in American courts.

With U.S. prosecutor Sidhardha Kamaraju saying the act only applies to civil cases, the U.S. government has accused Halkbank of paying Iran in gold and cash, including forging commerce documents, in return for purchased Iranian oil.

The prosecutors also claim Halkbank helped Iran transfer $20 billion of oil revenue, of which $1 billion was laundered using the U.S. financial system.

Halkbank, whose majority stakeholder is the Turkish government, is charged with bank fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy in evading Washington's sanctions on Iran. It has pleaded not guilty to all charges.