Erdogan’s defense contractor walks free as US abruptly drops NATO corruption case

Erdogan’s defense contractor walks free as US abruptly drops NATO corruption case

Abdullah Bozkurt / Stockholm A US-indicted Turkish defense contractor and former military officer, whose rapid rise in Turkey’s arms industry was fueled by close ties to the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has managed to escape US federal bribery charges following what many observers believe was political lobbying in Washington by Ankara. The case, which accused him of manipulating NATO contracts in exchange for secret payments, wa…