Banks, EU – Baltic States, Financial Services, Latvia, Legislation

He said that Latvia's authorities have not shown any interest in Ivanov.

Ivanov said earlier in an interview with Latvia's Dienas Bizness daily that Latvian law enforcement institutions have not assigned any status on him in the criminal case. 

As reported, the prosecutor's office is investigating a case on alleged laundering of at least EUR 50 mln through ABLV Banka. In the case, 13 people have rights for defense, including five foreign citizens who have the status of a suspect.

According to the reports of De Facto, analytical news program of the Latvian public television, the persons involved in the case are the bank's shareholder and former board chairman Ernests Bernis, businessman Andris Putnins, Ivanov who reportedly is the leader of an international ring, a Swiss financier, several Belarus citizens, and former head of ABLV Banka's representation in Minsk.

The prosecutor's office has arrested funds of about half a million euros in the case.

As reported, the Finance and Capital Market Commission, acting on the instructions from the European Central Bank, ordered ABLV Bank to stop all payments as of February 19, 2018 following a report by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury about ABLV Bank's involvement in international money laundering schemes and corruption. On February 24, 2018 the Finance and Capital Market Commission found an occurrence of unavailability of deposits at ABLV Bank.

Shareholders of ABLV Bank decided to start the liquidation process in order to protect interests of its clients and creditors. ABLV Bank believes that in this way it will be possible to ensure active protection of its customers, the bank said in a statement.