Adam KlasfeldVarmennettu tili

Now, Berman moves onto the acquittal motion.

No ruling on the acquittal motion yet. Reserved decision.

The attorney who did that cross-examination that Berman just savaged from the bench is Todd Harrison, from the Manhattan-based firm of McDermott, Will & Emery.

Upshot: Though he lost the motion, Atilla received a bit of a boost -- in being distanced from the scheme -- in Berman's ruling, but his attorneys got quite a dressing down.

"All rise." The jury is entering.

Fleming questions Atilla about the workings of the foreign operations division.

Atilla testifies about Levent Balkan and Hakan Aydogan.

Fleming asks if Balkan was fired or resigned. A: I know clearly that he wasn't fired, and I listened to Mr. Zarrab's testimony about him, and I was very sad, and it does not contain the truth.

Atilla: I've never attended a meeting where Reza Zarrab was present and when he was told to continue with the system.

Atilla reviews phone transcripts: "I know that this has nothing to do with me."

The series of questions relate to meetings and conversations that Atilla says he has nothing to do with.

Fleming asks Atilla about Zarrab's testimony that Atilla was Halkbank's most knowledgeable person on sanctions. Atilla: "I am not," i.e. the most knowledgeable person, "but I have some knowledge"

Atilla is describing banking procedures. This sets the stage for substance later. He's explaining to the jury how banking procedures work.

Q: Is there anything in here where you're telling Mr. Zarrab how to falsify partnership structure documents? A: I did not say such a thing to [Reza] Zarrab at any [time] in my life. "I never said such a thing," he added.

Fleming asks where Turkey is geographically situated with Iran. A: They're our neighbor. The jury has heard this dozens of times, and the defense wants them to hear that as often as possible in an Iran sanctions case to portray the transactions described at trial as innocent.

Testimony turns to a phone conversation at May 6, 2013.

Need to check the transcript on that, but there's been detailed testimony on NIOC (the Iranian national oil company). Again, as I said before, sometimes the details build slowly, and the attorneys bring them all together in closing arguments.

Fleming asks about a company whose name sounds like Onar Air.

Perhaps that was Onur. Owned by a Turkish businessman who wanted to sell his airline to Iran, Atilla says.

Got it folks, almost certainly Onur Air. I'll contextualize exactly what he said about this company later.

Analysis: This morning's direct examination of Atilla went to humanize him, show the jury his family, his upbringing, his career, even his hobbies. But the afternoon's examination is something else - digging into the weeds of his banking career and arcane, detailed transactions.

This testimony is important, too tricky to live-tweet, and usually comes into focus in closings. Last analysis: It reveals another defense strategy than simply letting Atilla tell his story. They also seem to be building a record. Now back to the testimony.

Fleming questions Atilla about Zarrab misleading him as to food transactions.

Defense is pulling up another exhibit. Another transcript.

Looks like a break.

Stand up. Stretch. Breathe. Have a çay or a kahve. We're in the closing stretch before the weekend.

What's have a nice weekend again in Turkish? İyi must be in there.

Thanks, everyone! I'll say it later, because I'm still working now.

We're back. Fleming: May I proceed, your honor? (Direct examination resumes.)

Atilla reviews an email from Hakan Aydogan.