US judge postpones Turkish banker’s sentencing

Nafiz Albayrak / New York, April 17 (DHA) - A United States judge on April 16 again postponed sentencing a former Turkish banker convicted of violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.
The sentencing has been pushed back from May 7 to May 16, since Turkish translators are unavailable on the first date, Judge Richard Berman said in a written statement.
Berman said the defense has also made an “extensive submission,” which the court has taken under review.
Previously, U.S. prosecutors asked a federal judge to sentence Mehmet Hakan Atilla, the former deputy chief executive of Halkbank, to at least 15 years in prison and a fine of between $50,000 to $500,000.
In a 75-page petition to the court, Atilla’s lawyers asked the judge for a “fair and merciful” sentence of between four to five years.