Background
Zarrab was born in Tabriz to Iranian Azerbaijani parents and grew up in Azerbaijan and Turkey. His father Hossein Zarrab (Zarrabi) was allegedly involved in smuggling between Iran and Turkey.
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Reza Zarrab
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He holds Iranian, Azerbaijani and Turkish citizenship. He was arrested and charged with money laundering among the other allegations in the United States on 19 March 2016. Until 2008 Reza Zarrab was in a long-term relationship with Azerbaijan-born singer Gunel Zeynalova.
He became a dual citizen of Turkey and Republic of Azerbaijan after settling in Istanbul.
Zarrab"s parents remained in Baku through 2010-2011. In 2013 they were granted Turkish citizenship reportedly through facilitation of then Interior Minister Muammer Güler.
Zarrab, who has business affiliation with the Iranian tycoon Babak Zanjani, was detained in Istanbul on 17 December 2013 due to his involvement with the sons of three ministers (Erdoğan Bayraktar, Muammer Güler and Zafer Çağlayan) in the Turkish government and Egemen Bağış, the former minister for European Union Affairs and Turkey"s chief negotiator in accession talks with the European Union, in an alleged bribery, corruption and smuggling racket. The court ordered his arrest on 21 December along with Barış Güler, son of Muammer Güler, and Kaan Çağlayan, son of Zafer Çağlayan.
He was released on 28 February 2014.
On March 19, 2016, Zarrab was arrested in Miami, Florida for conspiring to evade United States. sanctions against Iran, money laundering and bank fraud. The case is being prosecuted by assistant United States. attorneys of the Southern District of New York, with assistance from a trial attorney of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Achievements
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Born
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Nationality
Turkey Azerbaijan Iranian