Turkey rejects U.S. court ruling on Turkish banker

ANKARA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. court verdict sentencing Turkish banker Hakan Atilla is "unjust and unfortunate," Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

The U.S. ruling in the Hakan Atilla case is an "unprecedented" intervention in Turkey's internal affairs, the ministry said in a written statement.

Hakan Atilla, the former deputy chief executive officer of Turkish state lender Halkbank, was found guilty on Wednesday by a jury in New York on five charges related to conspiracy and bank fraud.

The statement slammed the trial was based on evidence which was fake and open to political exploitation.

Turkey expected the decision on the Turkish banker to be corrected, it added.

According to the ruling, Atilla's guilty counts include violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, crimes to deceive the U.S. and defrauding U.S. banks. Enditem