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Weekly Lists
June 22, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 27
bne:Banker
Latvia’s anti-corruption bureau seeks charges against central bank governor Rimsevics
IIB prepares to set up European unit in Budapest
The Latvian Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has asked the prosecutor’s office to press charges against the currently suspended governor of Latvijas Banka Ilmars Rimsevics for alleged corruption, KNAB said on June 18.
KNAB did not mention Rimsevics by name, saying in an official statement that the request concerns “a top-level public official of the Central Bank of Latvia” as well as a “natural person,” which is believed to be businessman Maris Martinsons, according to Latvian state television LTV.
The investigation centres on “alleged solicitation and acceptance of a bribe by a public official,” KNAB said. The alleged amount of the bribe is over €100,000, it added.
A delegation from Moscow-based multilateral lender the Inter- national Investment Bank (IIB) visited Budapest on June 18 as it prepares to set up its new European unit in the Hungarian capital, the bank said in a statement.
A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Hun- garian government and an IIB delegation led by the chairman of the development bank’s board Nikolay Kosov.
The bank said on June 18 that concluding the document is one of the initial steps towards practical implementation of decisions taken during the bank’s 109 council meeting in Yaroslavl on June 4-5 on the establishment of the new European front office, IIB European Unit.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will participate in the upcoming auction for a 41% stake in Moldova Agroindbank (MAIB), together with private equity firms AB Invalda INVL of Latvia and Horizon Capital, the development bank announced on June 20 after the decision was approved by its board of directors.
MAIB is the largest commercial bank in Moldova. Its assets at the end of 2017 amounted to €1.078bn, while its equity was €180mn.
On June 19-20, Moldova’s authorities took the necessary steps for organising the auction and the government earmarked MDL450mn (€22.5mn) on June 20 to temporarily take over the stake in order to sell it on to the investor.
EBRD-led consortium to acquire 41% in Moldova’s largest bank MAIB