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Former Halkbank executive resigns as head of Istanbul stock exchange

Borsa Istanbul CEO Mehmet Hakan Atilla stepped down Monday in a move possibly linked with the impending US trial of Turkey’s Halkbank, where he was convicted of helping Iran skirt US sanctions.
Grapfics and numbers of trade markets are screened on the floor of the Borsa Istanbul on May 22, 2018 in Istanbul. - Turkey's embattled currency, the Lira, on May 22 hit new historic lows against the US dollar after Fitch ratings agency expressed concerns over the central bank's independence in the wake of comments by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP)        (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

ISTANBUL — Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a Turkish banker convicted of helping Iran evade US sanctions, resigned as head of Turkey’s Borsa Istanbul Stock Exchange, according to a statement released by the exchange Monday.

Atilla resigned “of his own accord,” according to the statement, and the decision was accepted by the board of directors Monday. Last week, Bloomberg reported Atilla was preparing to step down later this month, citing unnamed sources, though no motives have yet to be confirmed.

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