On June 13 this year, a number of procedural activities have been carried out in the proceedings of the Office for the Prevention of Economic Crimes of the State Police's Central Criminal Police Office on the large extent of criminal proceedings relating to the laundering of alleged proceeds - searches involving the removal of potential material evidence. In total, 46 searches were carried out at the same time and eight persons were arrested. The investigation into criminal proceedings continues.
On June 13, officials of the Economic Crimes Control Board of the State Police, in co-operation with colleagues from other State Police departments, specialists from the Finance and Capital Market Commission, State Revenue Service Prevention of Money Laundering, CERT.LV and the specialised prosecutors' offices for organised crime and other industries (230 persons, of which 210 officials of the State Police) carried out 46 searches at various sites in Riga and the region of Riga – both credit institution and companies, and persons' workplaces and residences. During the search, eight persons were detained, who were interrogated and released as soon as possible, remaining in the status of the right of defence. No security features were applied to any person.
These actions were undertaken in the main proceedings launched in response to the report of The Financial Crimes Network (FINCEN), received in February 2018.
It was previously reported that more than 50 criminal proceedings on alleged money laundering have been initiated in Chapter 1 of the Government Police's Central Criminal Police Office, using the accounts of ABLV Bank separately and the infrastructure as a whole. Many of these criminal proceedings are where the illegal conduct of individual clients has been identified. Ten further criminal proceedings have been initiated without basic proceedings showing that the bank's employees, either individually or in a group of other officials responsible, including those responsible, provided support for the laundering activities, thereby committing the crime provided for in the third paragraph of Article 195 of the Criminal Law as an accomplice. Another of these criminal proceedings was taken over by the specialised Public Prosecutor's Office for Organised Crime and Other Sectors and the investigation is continued by the supervising prosecutor as a person directing the proceedings.
In practice, criminal proceedings assessing only customer behaviour and alleged money laundering are transferred after all possible procedural actions are carried out for criminal purposes to the country where the suspect is located, often before deciding on the proceeds of crime (return to lawful holders or to the good of the state of confiscation).
The fair settlement of criminal relations will be reached in Latvia in criminal proceedings where employees of the bank appear as co-conspirators of legalisation. However, in view of the fact that these criminal proceedings are a major challenge to the investigation, both because of the stabilisation of the practice of applying new rules and of the foreign aspect of multilateral international cooperation and the attitudes of the parties concerned to the investigation, etc., criminal proceedings in this category are not quickly investigated. Several thousand accounts are being analyzed, dozens of witnesses have been interrogated and requests for legal aid have been sent. State police call on the public to trust the investigation, which from the first day is supervised by the prosecutor's office and gives time for accurate, qualitative and objective investigations, while avoiding unjustified delays.
Currently only in criminal proceedings in the proceedings of the Government of the National Police Central's Office for the Prevention of Economic Crimes - 374’882’245.55 euros were seized at ABLV Bank, incl. money, financial instruments, real estate.
Prepared by:
Elīna Priedīte
Senior Officer of the State Police's
Public Relations Division
Tel: 67075093, 29600629
elina.priedite@vp.gov.lv