US delays trial of detained Turkish mogul Zarrab

 The scheduled trial of a Turkish-Iranian gold mogul and a banker accused of defying US sanctions on Iran, was on Monday delayed by a week without explanation.

After a two-hour court hearing behind closed doors in New York, Judge Richard Berman announced that jury selection, which had been set to begin Monday, was delayed until November 27. Opening statements are now scheduled for December 4.

Businessman Reza Zarrab was arrested by US authorities in March 2016 after flying with his pop star wife Ebru Gundes and their daughter to Miami for a Disney World holiday.

But neither Zarrab nor his lawyers attended the hearing Monday, fueling speculation that he is cooperating with prosecutors and could avoid going on trial.

A lawyer for co-defendant Mehmet Hakan Atilla, the deputy chief executive of Turkish lender Halkbank, declined to comment on reasons for the delay.

On Monday, the Turkish government called the court case, which has aroused the ire of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a plot against Turkey and said the suspects were being held like hostages.

Turkish prosecutors on Saturday launched a criminal probe against the US attorneys behind the case -- former attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara and his acting replacement Joon Kim -- on accusations of fabricating the case.

US media reports say President Donald Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn is being investigated for alleged talks with Turkey on deporting Zarrab and dissident Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen, in exchange for money.

Turkey and Flynn's lawyers have denied any such negotiations.

Source: AFP