Turkish state lender Halkbank could file a counter suit in an ongoing US trial against one of the bank`s former high-ranking employees accused of skirting sanctions on Iran, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was quoted as saying by local media on Sunday.
"We could file a counter suit against the US, for Halkbank now has the authority to file a lawsuit. This bank`s image is being tainted on an international level," Erdoğan told reporters on board his plane back from France, daily Hürriyet and other outlets reported.
Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla was found guilty in a Manhattan court on Wednesday on five of six counts of violating US sanctions against Iran.
Erdoğan would not elaborate on when and how Halkbank would take such a legal action. The bank needs to file with a US court if it decides to take a counter action.
Sentencing for Atilla is scheduled for April 11. Turkish authorities earlier dismissed the case as "theatre," further straining relations between Washington and Ankara.
