Turkey to keep backing state lender Halkbank: Deputy PM

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish government will keep backing state lender Halkbank over allegations of being used as an intermediary in violating UN Security Council’s sanctions on Iran, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Tuesday.

Speaking in a news conference, Simsek said: “We will do whatever it takes to make sure this lender provides support to our economy and entrepreneurs.”

He said the bank is still an asset for Turkey despite being transferred to Turkey Wealth Fund (TVF).

“Ministry of Justice has reviewed the files. All reviews of our bank and independent auditors as well as investigations by justice ministry clearly show none of the transactions by Halkbank breaches any global norm,” he added.

On March 28, the bank’s Deputy CEO Mehmet Hakan Atilla was arrested in New York on charges of conspiring to evade trade sanctions on Iran.

“We will wait and see the outcome. But the bank is an important asset for our country. We will stand behind our bank,” he added.

Days after the arrest of Halkbank Deputy CEO Mehmet Hakan Atilla, Simsek made a similar statement to media, noting there was a disagreement between Turkish and U.S. officials over transactions of Halkbank.

“This is an effort to expand a case left over from a previous term. When we discussed those issues with Halkbank thoroughly long time ago, we saw it was very clear that the bank had conducted brokerage with a neighboring country in a scope allowed by the UN Security Council,” Simsek said on March 30.

“We have repeatedly told this to U.S. officials but it appears they think otherwise,” he added.