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Latvian bank head refuses to stand down amid corruption allegations

Xinhua,February 21, 2018 Adjust font size:

RIGA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Bank of Latvia Governor Ilmars Rimsevics, who last weekend was detained on suspicions of graft, said he would not resign because he considers himself innocent.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Rimsevics dismissed all accusations against him and voiced determination to stay on as head of the Latvian central bank.

This was despite calls by Latvia's top state officials, including Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis and Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola, for him to resign for the sake of Latvia's international reputation.

"I realize that the situation is extremely complicated. Perhaps, it is the most complicated situation in my life so far. I have decided not to resign because I am not guilty, because it is my defamers' goal to make me resign so that I could not defend myself," Rimsevics said.

Rimsevics, however, will not be able to run the central bank because the Corruption Prevention Bureau has barred him from heading the bank.

The embattled bank governor claimed he has become target of a coordinated attack from some of Latvia's commercial banks, specifically, Norvik Banka and ABLV Bank.

"Clearly, I have become inconvenient to many in Latvia," Rimsevics said.

Rimsevics was detained last Sunday amid a new corruption probe launched by the Baltic country's anti-corruption watchdog, but was released Monday on 100,000 euros (123,413 U.S. dollars) bail posted by a "good friend".

On Saturday, the Latvian Corruption Prevention Bureau's operatives conducted searches at Rimsevics' office and residence outside Riga. Enditem

 

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