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The two Seimas committees, Budget and Finance and National Security and Defense, held a joint closed session, in which only one topic was on Tuesday’s agenda: investigations carried out by US institutions on commercial banks that They operate in Lithuania.
The Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, Mykolas Majauskas, briefly explained that the situation is serious: the US authorities are conducting investigations and a large shadow of money laundering has been cast over the Baltic banks.
“It is known that international money laundering operations were carried out through the branches of Scandinavian banks operating in the Baltic countries. Investigations are carried out by Swedish, Danish and Estonian police authorities. Additionally, US law enforcement agencies launched an investigation. After preliminary inquiries, it is not yet known that the US investigation includes operations conducted in Lithuania, but the investigation is still ongoing ”, comments M. Majauskas.
It emphasizes that a large shadow of money laundering has been cast over Baltic banking, as a result of which commercial banks are already facing difficulties at times in carrying out international transactions in US dollars. According to him, it is especially important not to wait for the conclusions of foreign police institutions and to immediately clarify the situation and dispel any doubts about banks operating in Lithuania.
“Therefore, it has been agreed that all responsible Lithuanian law enforcement and control institutions will take active steps to further clarify with responsible foreign institutions to what extent the ongoing investigations are related to operations carried out in Lithuania. “says M. Majauskas.
The parliamentarian assures that if the accusations are confirmed, Lithuania may lose the status of a reliable country in the international financial sector, which can significantly affect banks and commercial entities operating in Lithuania that use international financial services provided by banks.
“It is extremely important to ensure the full and smooth functioning of our police and supervisory authorities. In addition, smooth cooperation with the relevant US and Swedish authorities, as provided for in international agreements and Lithuanian law, in order to clarify possible crimes. We must immediately invest in the prevention of money laundering by providing the necessary infrastructure and human resources. Otherwise, we will not remove reputational stains for decades, which can affect all Lithuanian citizens, ”reported M. Majauskas for written.
Lithuania alone is not yet mentioned in the study
Conservative Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the Defense and National Security Committee, says Lithuania is not listed in the investigation, but “the shadow falls on everyone.”
“Investigations are being carried out on banks operating in other Baltic countries and the shadow falls on all the Baltic countries. Until now we can say that Lithuania is not listed there. But since the shadow falls on everyone, we must proactively communicate with both institutions and ourselves politicians, explaining that Lithuania is not involved. There is no Lithuania in this black hole, ”L. Kasčiūnas told BNS.
“We would like the institutions to find out if Lithuania is under investigation, so as not to wait for someone to knock on our door. (…) I would like a closer cooperation, because now it is not our business here, they have not contacted us, “he added.
Valius Ąžuolas, a member of the Budget and Finance Committee, says politicians and state institutions have agreed on the “task”.
“It just came to our knowledge then. Take all measures to ensure that this shadow does not fall in Lithuania and does not exist in the future either,” V. Ąžuolas told BNS.
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