Halkbank urges immunity from US prosecution in Iran sanctions case

FILE PHOTO: A customer uses an automated teller machine at a branch of Halkbank in Istanbul August 15, 2014. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Turkey's Halkbank drew skepticism from a U.S. appeals court panel on Wednesday, as the state-owned lender renewed its push to escape U.S. criminal charges that it helped Iran evade American sanctions.

Arguing before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, a lawyer for Halkbank said the bank was entitled to immunity under common law principles that date back more than two centuries, warranting the dismissal of the U.S. indictment.