A senior banker at one of Turkey’s largest banks got a break from a U.S. judge, who sentenced him to less than three years in prison for aiding an Iranian plot to evade sanctions and launder $1 billion in oil revenue through the U.S. financial system.
Federal prosecutors had sought a sentence of at least 15 years for Mehmet Hakan Atilla, 47. Now, with credit for good behavior and the time he spent in jail awaiting trial, Atilla could return to Turkey by the middle of next year. Atilla, who headed international banking at Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS, remains employed by the bank, according to his lawyers.
