Former Danske Estonia boss found dead amid money laundering inquiry

Record ID: 1433281

  • Title: Former Danske Estonia boss found dead amid money laundering inquiry
  • Date: 25th September 2019
  • Summary: TALLINN, ESTONIA (FILE - SEPTEMBER 18, 2018) (REUTERS) DANSKE BANK FLAGS EXTERIOR OF DANSKE BANK DANSKE BANK SIGN VARIOUS OF ENTRANCE STAFF INSIDE VARIOUS OF EXTERIORS SIGN WITH FLOOR MAP DANSKE BANK SIGN ON BUILDING DANSKE BANK BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 9th October 2019 18:06
  • Keywords: money laundering scandal Danske Bank Aivar Rehe Danske Bank's Estonian branch
  • Location: TALLINN, ESTONIA
  • City: TALLINN, ESTONIA
  • Country: Estonia
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice
  • Reuters ID: LVA002AY5PWZR
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A former head of Danske Bank's Estonian branch, which is at the center of inquiries into the world's largest money laundering scandal, was found dead on Wednesday (September 25).
    Police in Estonia discovered the body of Aivar Rehe, who ran the Danish bank's Estonian business between 2007 and 2015 and had been among those questioned as a witness in a probe by Estonian prosecutors, following a search which began on Monday (September 23).
    Danske Bank, Denmark's largest lender, is under investigation in several countries, including the United States, Denmark, Britain and Estonia, over suspicious payments totalling 200 billion euros ($220 billion) which were moved through its tiny Estonian branch during the period Rehe was in charge. German Prosecutors said they had raided Deutsche Bank's headquarters in Frankfurt in relation to Danske Bank. Deutsche Bank said it was cooperating.
    Rehe's death is likely to complicate investigations into Danske Bank's Estonian operation, including by U.S. authorities.
    Estonian prosecutors confirmed that Rehe had been questioned as a witness, not a suspect, in a case opened in December last year against 10 former Danske Bank employees. This involves the alleged laundering of around 300 million euros.
    The police said Rehe's death would not be investigated and they had excluded the involvement of any third parties.
    (Production: Malgorzata Wojtunik, Louisa Naks)
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