First arrests in Danske Bank scandal
In the Danske Bank money laundering scandal Estonian police have arrested ten former employees of the bank. Estonian prosecutors ordered them to be detained on suspicion of knowingly transferring suspect money. Estonian media are jubilant that the first arrests have been made but hope this is just the beginning.
Estonia's reputation has been restored
The first arrests are just a partial victory, writes Eesti Päevaleht:
“Are these ten employees who have been arrested by the police now, most of them customer consultants, really the only ones who knew of this large-scale money laundering and are guilty? That's highly unlikely, the investigations have only just begun. Perhaps the bank managers will be next in line. The fact that the public prosecutors have been able to confirm the suspicions will help to repair Estonia's tarnished image, but it could be years before the case goes to trial and judgement is passed. Luckily, money laundering is a crime that doesn't come under the statute of limitations for ten years.”
Don't just punish the small fry
Postimees hopes the Danske Bank case will now be subject to a thorough investigation:
“When you consider how terribly slowly the Estonian politicians, financial circles and investigators reacted at the start of the case, it would be easy to suspect that something else was hiding behind their inactivity. Luckily one can now say that things are moving on. The media are to be thanked for putting the topic firmly on the agenda. ... The extent of the money laundering at Danske Bank is unparalleled anywhere in the world. The goal of the investigations must now be to bring the truth to light and the guilty parties to justice. And not just the small fry, but also those who pulled the strings.”