Yesterday, it was announced about the transaction completed on December 11, within the framework of which the local investment bank AS “Signet Bank” acquired AS “LPB Bank”.
Kristaps Bunkus, the brother of the murdered insolvency administrator and lawyer Mārtiņš Bunkus, already before the announcement of the deal, and after it was concluded, published posts on the “X” website indicating the possible connection of the shareholders of “Signet bank” with organized crime.
“In case you missed the news, this institution (investment bank AS “Signet Bank” – ed.), which could have around 100-200 clients, will buy “LPB Bank”. The bank whose biggest shareholder (through MONO) is [Mihails] Ulmans, accused of murder. A bank that was fined EUR 2.2 million by the Financial and Capital Market Commission in 2018 (where NOT ONE court hearing took place). All this under the nose of the European Central Bank, the Financial Intelligence Service, KNAB, with the tireless work of the regulator Latvijas Banka itself and the dedicated functionaries [President of the Bank of Latvia] Mārtiņš Kazāks and [Chairman of the Financial and Capital Market Commission (FKTK)] Santa Purgaile,” K. Bunkus writes on December 6.
“Continuing on the news of this financial giant in Antonijas Street belletage, which is going to become the owner of LPB Bank, my attention is drawn to this shareholder – Solrut Holding Company LLC, USA. Something makes me think that another old business partner of Mihails Ulmans might be behind it. Unfortunately, the efficient officials of the Bank of Latvia, Santa Purgaile and Mārtiņš Kazāks, were neither able nor willing to find out, or they simply hoped that no one else would do it,” concludes Bunkus.
Bunkus also calls on “the hastily distributed announcement of the Bank of Latvia on the “2 million fine” for LPB Bank to be looked at more critically and perhaps to call things the right way – a “commission” was applied.”
“While some banks have overstretched their resources in order to ensure compliance of their operations with the regulation of prevention of criminal means – meanwhile, according to public information, significant violations of this regulation are systematically (!) detected at LPB Bank and the trend does not change. It seems that the fines applied to LPB Bank actually fulfill the function of a commission fee for the unhindered continuation of such a model. In other words, continue to operate as you want, but reserve in the budget that in the future you may need to say goodbye to some % as a commission, so that you can continue to operate as you want. How many times do you think LPB Bank has promised to “start eliminating deficiencies”?” Bunkus asks.
“At the end of the week, in the light of this this long and carefully planned, cherished and supported by the Bank of Latvia, [Chairman of the Financial and Capital Market Commission (FKTK)] Santa Purgaile and [President of the Bank of Latvia] Mārtiņš Kazāks Signet Bank and LPB Bank “deal”, there is another shareholder to watch out for. It is the US-based Signet Acquisition III, whose sole shareholder is a typical American, Alexander Soloway, and by pure coincidence it owns 24.5% of Signet Bank shares, exactly 0.5%, so as not to disclose PLG.,” “X” writes K Bunkus.
He also draws attention to the fact that the shareholder of Signet Bank, Natālija Petkeviča, has a long business relationship with Mihails Uļmans, the largest shareholder of LPB Bank (through MONO), who is currently accused of ordering the murder of Mārtiņš Bunkus.