Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 20 February 2018
Germany's Merkel brings possible successor to Berlin

By FRANK JORDANS Merkel said she wants the old Catholic would bring a last September's election party's headquarters in Ber-
BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor party to elect Annegret lot of experience and cred- with almost 33 percent of lin. Kramp-Karrenbauer has
Angela Merkel proposed Kramp-Karrenbauer to the ibility to the role at a time the vote. "We are experi- been governor of Saarland
Monday that the governor post of general-secretary when the Christian Demo- encing one of the most dif- on Germany's western bor-
of Germany's tiny western next Monday. The party's crats are under pressure to ficult political phases in the der with France and Lux-
state of Saarland run her current general-secretary, define their political posi- history of (post-war) Ger- embourg since 2011.
party's day-to-day opera- Peter Tauber, is stepping tions. Conservative voters many," Kramp-Karrenbauer During that time she worked
tions — putting her in prime down after facing health have abandoned the party told reporters, explaining to make French a second
position eventually to suc- issues. Speaking alongside in recent years, partly over why she was willing to leave language in the state and
ceed Merkel as leader of Kramp-Karrenbauer at the Merkel's welcoming stance her post as governor of one improve economic, cul-
the center-right Christian party's headquarters in Ber- on immigration, even of Germany's 16 states to tural and political ties with
Democratic Union. lin, Merkel said the 55-year- though it still came first in devote her energy to the France. q

Banker: "Nightmare" dodging extortion attempts in Latvia

By CARLO PIOVANO laundering would raise con-
LONDON (AP) — Latvia's cerns of the risk of blackmail
top banking official, a key from Russia's secret services
member of the European or organized crime, and
Central Bank, has been ac- come at a time when Lat-
cused by local bank Norvik vian security services warn
of seeking kickbacks, trying that Russia is actively trying
to launder Russian money to obtain state secrets from
and retaliating against Latvian officials to weaken
the bank when it refused the European Union and
to play by the "rules of the United States.
game." Guselnikov said he first
In a high-stakes drama met Rimsevics in 2015 af-
for the tiny Baltic country, ter he was introduced to a
Ilmars Rimsevics was de- man called Renars Kokins,
tained Saturday by Latvian who was said to know the
anti-corruption authorities country's legal and political
and questioned for hours landscape well. Kokins in-
into the night. State TV vited Guselnikov to a meet-
showed him walking free ing in a large villa in the
on Monday, without charg- suburbs of the capital. Soon
es, though he is still being after Guselnikov got there,
investigated for suspected another man arrived, on
bribery. This photo dated Aug. 22 2010, obtained by The Associated Press shows Ilmars Rimsevics, the foot, and entered without
Norvik bank has filed an in- head of Latvia’s central bank, second left, and Dmitry Pilshchikov, at 3rd left, who was then the knocking: it was Rimsevics.
head of the Russian arms company Research Institute of Information Technology. Ilmars Rimse-
ternational legal complaint vics, the country’s top banking official and a key member of the European Central Bank was He was brief and to the
against Latvia in which it al- detained Saturday Feb. 17, 2018, amid swirling accusations of bribery and money laundering point. He told Guselnikov
leges that a "Senior Latvian schemes in Latvia that reach to Russia. he could help him be-
Official" repeatedly sought (AP Photo) cause the nation's financial
"to extort monetary bribes," regulator was loyal to him
and threatened the bank Guselnikov confirmed that The threat of criminal ticularly sensitive as he sits personally. All he had to
when its owner and chair- it was Rimsevics. charges against the man on the top policy-making do was "cooperate" with
man, Grigory Guselnikov, Rimsevics' lawyer told Lat- who has been at the top of council of the ECB, Europe's Kokins, Guselnikov recalled.
refused to pay up. vian TV that he promises to the country's banking sec- most powerful financial Rimsevics left 10 minutes
"The high-level official men- provide more information tor since 1992, in the wake institution, and is privy to later and Kokins sat Gusel-
tioned in our request for ar- about the case on Tues- of the Soviet collapse, has the state secrets of Latvia, nikov down at a table.
bitration is Rimsevics," Nor- day. The ECB declined to plunged the small Baltic NATO and the European He pulled a pen out and
vik's CEO, Oliver Bramwell, comment on Rimsevics' nation into turmoil. Union. wrote on a piece of paper:
told The Associated Press. status. Rimsevics' detention is par- Any connections to money “100,000 per month.” q

Catalan politicians in Spanish court in secession probe

By ARITZ PARRA eral Marta Rovira was ques- Monday. value, but no legal effect, In Spain, a judge can keep
MADRID (AP) — A Spain tioned by an investigating Judicial police have iden- according to witnesses of suspects in custody before
Supreme Court judge set magistrate for her role in tified Rovira and Pascal as Monday’s court proceed- deciding if they should be
bail Monday for a promi- the October defiance that key players in the staging of ings. formally charged at the
nent Catalan politician triggered Spain’s severest a banned independence More than two dozen peo- end of an investigation.
who faced possible jailing political crisis in decades. referendum and the decla- ple, including politicians, Four suspects, including
during the ongoing investi- Her bail was set at 60,000 ration of secession Catalan elected lawmakers, and former regional Vice Presi-
gation of people involved euros ($74,600.) lawmakers made based on the regional police chief, dent Oriol Junqueras, re-
in the Catalonia region’s Fellow politician Marta Pas- its results. are also under investiga- main in custody. The cen-
push for independence cal, the leader of the con- Both told the judge Mon- tion for possible rebellion, tral government remains in
last year. Left republican servative PDeCAT party, day that the Oct. 27 inde- sedition or misuse of public charge of the region’s daily
ERC party Secretary Gen- was also questioned on pendence had symbolic funds. affairs.q