For the last four years, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used his relationship with former US president Donald Trump to try to circumvent the US justice system in cases related to Turkish bank Halkbank and lobbying money that went to former national security adviser Mike Flynn, whom Trump pardoned in 2020.
But this dynamic is shifting under the Biden administration as investigations related to Ankara resume at both the Justice Department and the Pentagon.
Unlike Mr Trump, who routinely called Mr Erdogan from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden has not phoned the Turkish leader yet, even though he has made calls to Iraq, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Disagreements over Turkish acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 system, congressional sanctions, a more aggressive stance in the eastern Mediterranean and human rights have clouded the relationship.
On the judicial front, the Biden administration is pursuing a more assertive role in cases related to Turkey. Last week, Law and Crime reported that the State and Justice Departments had sent an 18-page legal brief to the Washington, DC, circuit court asking it to uphold a ruling that Turkish security agents and bodyguards for Mr Erdogan could be held liable for attacking protesters in 2017.
In parallel, the Pentagon's internal watchdog last week concluded its investigation into Mr Flynn that had been delayed under the Trump administration. The Pentagon's investigator sent the US Army its findings in the case, which involves Mr Flynn accepting foreign money from Russia and Turkey right before joining the Trump White House.
Mr Flynn’s acceptance of these funds could constitute a breach of the constitution’s emoluments clause. Mr Flynn twice pleaded guilty to lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation but was pardoned by Mr Trump last December.
The US Army could serve Mr Flynn with financial penalties for any breach of military rules. But the time frame for such a decision remains unclear.
Another case that could see more oversight from the Justice Department under Mr Biden is the Halkbank case currently under way in New York. Turkey’s state-owned bank is charged with embezzlement, conspiracy, money laundering, fraud and helping Iran evade sanctions.
Mr Erdogan pleaded with Mr Trump personally to interfere and have the case dropped. According to John Bolton's memoir, The Room Where It Happened, Mr Trump told his Turkish counterpart then he would intervene and dismantle the case.
“Trump then told Erdogan he would take care of things, explaining that the Southern District prosecutors were not his people, but were Obama people, a problem that would be fixed when they were replaced by his people,” Mr Bolton writes.
Six months prior to leaving office, Mr Trump removed Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, but was still unable to dismantle the case.
Now, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden is urging newly confirmed Attorney General Merrick Garland to look into Mr Trump’s interference on behalf of Turkey in the Halkbank case. In a letter to Mr Garland last Thursday, his first day on the job, Mr Wyden demands answers from the new administration that the Trump team declined to offer.
“While the department has failed to co-operate with my investigation, I will continue to seek answers as to why former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin was directed by former president Trump to improperly intervene in a criminal investigation into the evasion of sanctions in response to a pressure campaign by the Turkish government, and whether [Mr] Mnuchin sought to halt the investigation and prosecution of Halkbank or reduce any fines imposed by the Department of Justice,” he wrote.
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Dust storm
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
More on Quran memorisation:
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
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Director: Christian Schwochow
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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two stars
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Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 0
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
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Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
