Latvian anti-corruption unit says CB governor held over bribe demand

Latvia’s anti-corruption authority said on Monday it had detained Central Bank governor Ilmars Rimsevics over the weekend for demanding a bribe, Reuters reports. “The criminal procedure is about demanding a bribe of no less than €100,000 [US$124,000],” said Jekabs Straume, the head of Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau. Separately on Monday, the European Central Bank stopped all payments by ABLV Bank, Latvia’s third biggest lender, over liquidity concerns after the US Treasury accused it of money laundering. Straume said the US allegations do “not relate to this criminal procedure [detention] in any way at the moment.”