Yesterday, on December 16, the media reported on the police proceedings at Industra Bank’s premises. We would like to emphasize that this investigation is linked to historical events prior to the transformation of the entire financial sector and the bank itself, and is not related to the bank’s current operations, existing shareholders, or management.

The State Police arrived at the premises of Industra on December 8, and the bank’s employees promptly provided the police with all the necessary support so that the police could obtain the documents and data of interest in accordance with the court decision. It is in the bank’s interest to assist law enforcement authorities in their work to rule out any suspicion or possibility that the bank may be used for illegal purposes.

In this case, the person whose activities the police were interested in has not carried out any transactions in the bank since 2018, neither has been subject to the sanctions.

According to the decision of Vidzeme Suburb Court the permission to perform procedural activities in the bank were justified by the possibility that objects, documents, or data carriers could be historically preserved in the bank’s premises, which may be relevant to the investigation by the Czech Republic law enforcement bodies, namely, it did not mention that any criminal activity at the bank could take place at present. The specific court decision states that persons who may have been involved in the crime have been conducting banking transactions from various locations in the Czech Republic since 2015, and not in Latvia.

Raivis Kakānis, Chairman of the Board of Industra Bank, emphasizes:

“Last year, from March 30 to September 1, the FCMC (FKTK) conducted a full-scale inspection in our bank regarding money laundering prevention and sanction risk management areas. The inspection did not reveal any systematic deficiencies. The bank has put a lot of efforts since the change of shareholders to minimize the potential for abuse or misuse. The regulator’s positive assessment of the changes implemented by the bank is confirmed by the improved risk rating from high to lower this year.”

We would like to emphasize that the funds of the clients have not been frozen, and no suspicions have been expressed in connection with the actions of the bank’s employees, as well as no procedural status has been applied to any person.

For more detailed information: 
Ieva Zauere
Head of Communication and Marketing
Industra Bank
+371 29 485 726
E-mail: ieva.zauere@industra.finance