The special counsel wanted to question a Turkish businessman with interests in Turkey, Russia and the U.S. — and ties to people with criminal records.
The special prosecutor investigating Russia’s interference in
the 2016 presidential election has subpoenaed an associate of Gen.
Michael Flynn’s Turkish lobbying client. The subpoena, a copy of which
was obtained by ProPublica, ordered Sezgin Baran Korkmaz to testify
before a grand jury in Washington on Sept. 22.
“The grand jury is conducting an investigation of possible violations
of federal criminal laws involving the Foreign Agents Registration Act,
among other offenses,” a letter accompanying the subpoena stated. The
letter is signed by Robert Mueller and Zainab Ahmad, a senior assistant
special counsel who specializes in prosecuting terrorism. Korkmaz did
not respond to requests for comment.
There are no indications of direct links between Korkmaz and Flynn, who
briefly served as Donald Trump’s national security adviser. But Korkmaz,
39, is a close ally of Ekim Alptekin, the 40-year-old Turkish
businessman who hired Flynn to lobby for Turkish interests shortly
before the election. Korkmaz, a Turkish national, said in a radio
interview in May that he started as a dishwasher at age 13 and is now
bringing hundreds of millions of dollars from the U.S. to Turkey. His
company invests in a range of industries in Turkey, the Middle East, the
U.S. and Russia, and he has invested in several projects that involve
people accused or convicted of crimes.
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Source: ProPublica
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