The US Department of Justice has filed a formal request to dismiss the criminal case against Halkbank HALKB.IS.
The Justice Department asked a federal judge yesterday to dismiss the criminal case, indicating that it has no intention of prosecuting the public bank.
In its statement to KAP this morning, Halkbank announced that the criminal case, which has been going on for nine years, will be completely ended after the US Southern District Court of New York took the joint request petition into consideration and approved the dismissal of the criminal case in a short time.
In the statement of the bank, it was stated that “The Compliance Report stipulated within the scope of the Postponement of Prosecution Agreement signed between the US Department of Justice Southern New York District Attorney’s Office and our bank and entered into force on March 11, 2026, was prepared by the expert organization and delivered to the US Department of Justice Southern New York District Attorney’s Office and the US Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on time.”
In the statement, it was stated that following the delivery of the Compliance Report, in accordance with the settlement agreement, Halkbank and the US Department of Justice Southern New York District Attorney’s Office submitted a jointly signed petition to dismiss the criminal case to the US Southern New York District Court on June 10, 2026.
Halkbank and the US government reached an agreement in March to end the long-running criminal case. The agreement, which promises to relieve an ongoing tension in relations between NATO allies Türkiye and the USA, also had a positive impact on Halkbank shares.
The agreement prohibits Halkbank from engaging in transactions that benefit Iran and requires the appointment of a monitor to monitor Halkbank’s compliance with sanctions and anti-money laundering rules.
After the agreement was announced, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman, sitting in Manhattan, suspended the case for 90 days to allow Halkbank to demonstrate compliance with the terms. Halkbank appointed Ernst&Young to review its compliance policies.
Halkbank was accused of helping Iran evade US economic sanctions during Trump’s first term as president. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the case as unlawful and “ugly”.
However, Türkiye and the US have had the warmest relations in recent years since Trump was elected US president for the second time last year.
