Scotches rumors about prosecution of Turkish-American businessman.
AB Wire
The US Attorney for the Southern District in New York Preet Bharara has scotched rumors of his being bribed more than two million dollar to prosecute a Turkish businessman, calling it “silly”.
Bharara has been internationally extolled for prosecuting a shady Turkish-Iranian businessman, but said he has also faced accusations of being bribed $2.5 million to make that arrest, reported the New York Post.
“There have been a lot of silly things written about me. I can confirm for all of you that that’s the silliest,” Bharara said at the New York Press Association convention in Saratoga Springs on Friday.
Bharara said he is aware he has been featured in Turkish newspapers that claim he arrested Reza Zarrab and two others last month because of bribes offered by people trying to take down their country’s government.
Las month, a federal court in New York City refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Bharara, and various FBI agents and employees of the US Attorney’s Office alleging violations of certain constitutional rights of David Ganek, a former hedge fund operator, reported Lexology.
Ganek filed a lawsuit against the defendants in February 2015, after he shut down his hedge fund, Level Global Investors, following a highly publicized raid by FBI agents on Level Global’s offices in November 2010.
The raid was part of the US Attorney’s Office investigation of possible insider trading by financial professionals. In his complaint, Ganek alleged that an affidavit presented to a magistrate to authorize the raid “contained deliberate misrepresentations that were later exposed by sworn trial testimony of an FBI agent and a government informant.”
Specifically, Ganek alleged that defendants stated in the affidavit that a former Level Global employee, Sam Adondakis, obtained inside information from third-party consultants and provided it to Ganek.
However, claimed Ganek, defendants had no basis for the statement that, in fact, constituted a fabrication. Even after Bharara and other supervisory defendants learned of contrary facts stated in the affidavit, they did not advise the magistrate to correct the record, alleged Ganek. Saying that Ganek’s complaint contained “grave allegations,” the Hon. William Pauley III ruled mostly against defendants’ motion to dismiss and permitted Ganek’s lawsuit, which also alleged violations of his civil rights, to proceed.