The judge overseeing the upcoming trial of two Turkish businessmen charged with evading US sanctions against Iran criticized Turkey’s government Tuesday for claiming that one of the two men is a “hostage” of federal prosecutors.

“The best way for them [Turkish officials] to be helpful is to help defense counsel by providing in court any evidence or witnesses they are aware of,” Manhattan federal judge Richard Berman said at a hearing on Tuesday.

Berman made the comment after reading that Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister on Monday called the government’s main defendant, gold trader Reza Zarrab, a “hostage” of the feds.

Zarrab, a Turkish-Iranian businessman with ties to Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has stopped appearing in court — despite the trial starting next week — prompting speculation that he is cooperating with the U.S. against his co-defendant, an executive with the state-owned Halkbank, and against other Turkish officials.

Over the weekend, Turkish prosecutors also launched an investigation into former Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara, who busted Zarrab, and his successor, Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim, amid concern about their dealings with the suspect, who is still in US custody but no longer in the Bureau of Prisons system.

Kim called allegations that his office is being driven by enemies of Erdoğan “ridiculous on their face.”

“Frankly, it displays a fundamental misunderstanding of how our justice system works,” Kim said at a press conference. “The defendants are charged with serious crimes. … That’s why the case is being brought and that’s the only reason.”

The trial will start next week after jury selection.

With Post Wires