Turkey probes US prosecutor in Zarrab trial twist
A top Turkish prosecutor is formally investigating the US prosecutor in the trial of Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab, demanding information about the evidence compiled for the gold trader's sanctions-busting activities.
Efforts to spin the trial of sanctions-busting Iranian-Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab as yet another Western plot to undermine Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a surreal twist over the weekend as Turkish prosecutors moved against their US colleagues involved in the sensational case.
Istanbul’s top prosecutor launched twin probes into Joon H. Kim, acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, and his predecessor Preet Bharara over how evidence was gathered in the case against Zarrab, who has been in federal custody since March 2016.
The prosecutor is demanding to know where, how, when and from whom US authorities acquired documents, audio recordings and other content being used in the prosecution’s case. The evidence is thought to include wiretapped conversations in which Zarrab incriminates Erdogan by suggesting that the veteran leader who was prime minister at the time had at the very least knowledge of the massive money-laundering scheme that allowed Iran to circumvent US sanctions.
The affair has further poisoned US-Turkish relations, which are at their lowest point in decades. The prosecutor’s actions are seen as a further desperate attempt by the government to shift blame to the United States. The chorus of anti-American sentiments is growing louder by the day, with the pro-government daily Yeni Safak declaring on its front page that the NATO alliance is preparing to attack Turkey.
