According to Turkey, the bilateral legal accords with the U.S are losing validity. Erdogan criticized Washington for not meeting for the extradition of FETO’s leader, which is blamed for the failed coup attempt in 2016 that killed 249 people and injured more than 2,000. This came after the trial of Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla in New York, who is accused of evading U.S. sanctions on Iran. According to Erdogan, U.S. needs to review the jury’s decision because the case was full of contradictions.
Defense said that prosecutors questioned Atilla based on a report prepared by a fugitive member of FETÖ, Osman Zeki Canıtez, in an attempt to strengthen the government’s case. The request was again declined by Judge Richard Berman, whose links to FETÖ have long overshadowed the trial.
Evidence has revealed that Berman was hosted at a FETÖ-linked event in Istanbul and the judge had also criticized the dismissal of FETÖ-linked judges, prosecutors and police officers on charges of unlawful wiretapping. Furthermore, the U.S. support for the PKK terrorist group and the armed group YPG got worse the relation between the two nations.
