Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab photographed at New York restaurant

SİNEM VURAL

Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, who was arrested in the U.S. in 2016 over evading sanctions on Iran, has been photographed at a famous sushi restaurant in New York. 

Zarrab, who was dining with a woman in Nobu, left the restaurant after he noticed that he was recognized by people around him.

The woman was identified by Turkish media on Sept. 13 as Ayşegül Akgün, a former fan and estranged friend of Zarrab's ex-wife and singer Ebru Gündeş.

After his arrest in the U.S., Zarrab had initially pleaded not guilty then flipped, becoming a U.S. government witness.

Admitting being involved in the multibillion-dollar gold-for-oil scheme to subvert U.S. economic sanctions against Iran, Zarrab struck a deal with the prosecution for a more lenient sentence.

It was earlier announced that Zarrab was kept at a special section of a New York prison.

He became the U.S. prosecution’s top witness in the trial, leaving former Halkbank deputy general manager Mehmet Hakan Atilla as the only arrested defendant of the case.

Atilla was convicted by a New York jury on Jan. 3 on five counts of bank fraud and conspiracy.