Judge Rips Giuliani for Evasive Affidavit on Iran
MANHATTAN (CN) — New York’s former hardline Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a self-styled warrior against political correctness, drew a federal judge’s ire on Tuesday for dancing around the rude reality that his client is charged with violating U.S. sanctions.
Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab, a wealthy ally of Turkey’s president whom Giuliani represents, stands accused of leading a multi-year conspiracy to launder money to Iran.
Together with former U.S. Attorney Michael Mukasey, Giuliani has pursued what his legal team delicately calls a “diplomatic solution” to Zarrab’s charges mediated through U.S. and Turkish officials.
Last month, Giuliani and Mukasey each signed affidavits stating that officials have been receptive about this deal because the transactions in Zarrab’s indictment did not involve nuclear technology or contraband, but merely “consumer goods.”
Accusing Zarrab’s lawyers of trying to “muddy the waters,” prosecutors later noted that their client stands accused of steering money to banks sanctioned for financing Iran’s nuclear program.
Making the similar observation at a Tuesday afternoon hearing, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman skewered Zarrab’s counsel for avoiding the elephant in the room.
“Most respectfully, the Giuliani and Mukasey affidavits appear surprisingly disingenuous in failing to mention the central role of Iran in the indictment, and indeed, failing to mention Iran at all in their affidavits,” Berman said.
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