Two years ago, the Financial and Capital
Market Commission (FCMC) found that the bank’s co-owner, businessman Vladimir
Antonov siphons money away from the bank.
According to TV3 program Nekā Personīga, Krājbanka without proper guarantee loaned about LVL 40 million to non-residents.
There were suspicions that the recipients of loans are connected with Antonov.
According to sources in the transparency of transactions the restrictions were
imposed on Krājbanka owner - Lithuanian bank Snoras. This May, the State Bank -
Bank of Lithuania - banned Snoras to attract large deposits from the bank
customers in Lithuania and at the same time demanded to increase the bank's
capital with money drawn not from Russia.
Then Antonov invented a new scheme how to
get money in Latvia.
Krājbanka opened correspondent accounts in
four small banks, loyal to Antonov. LVL 110 million were transferred there. In
summer, the Chairman of the bank’s Board Ivar Prieditis instructed to pledge
the money. Cash accounts remained, and perhaps no one would notice the changes,
but this month Snoras bank experienced problems, and people began to withdraw
deposits from Krājbanka.
The FCMC noticed the cash outflow by
accident. One of the deposits in the Russian bank expired on November 17. The
FCMC asked to transfer money and was refused because the money was pledged.
On November 18, Antonov promised the FCMC to
repay the money. The banker explained that he had to borrow from Krājbanka. He
promised to repay the loan as soon as he gets money from the bank in
Switzerland – LVL 50 million. He did not have access to this account since on
November 17 the Lithuanian authorities blocked the Swiss bank account.
The FCMC did not believe Antonov and
suspended the bank's board, having reported the case to the Prosecutor General.
Three days later, the FCMC closed the bank completely.
As Nekā
Personīga found out, the senior
government officials expressed claims to the Latvian special services, as those
had not warned in time about the risks associated with Antonov’s business.
Leaders of the security officials justified that there was no reason for that:
Antonov had no previous convictions and was not wanted internationally. The
Lithuanian authorities followed the Antonov six months, but did not share their
findings with the Latvian colleagues.
Perhaps, the Krājbanka Chairman Prieditis
believed that Krājbanka would avoid trouble. Shortly before the bank was
closed, he received a call from the composer Raimonds Pauls, which had a
deposit of LVL 700,000 in the bank, and asked whether it is safe to keep money
in the bank. Prieditis said that there would be no problems.
