Estonia is set to receive a share of the $2 billion in damages paid out in the Danske Bank money laundering case due to its close collaboration with U.S. authorities. Estonian Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet mentioned that the amount Estonia may receive could be $50 million. The technical details are still being worked out, with final decisions expected by year-end.
The basis for determining the exact amount the U.S. will provide to Estonia hasn’t been disclosed yet. Laanet emphasized the importance of the cooperation between Estonian security agencies and the U.S. Justice Department.
The decision process in the U.S. can be lengthy due to bureaucratic procedures, which differ from the quicker decision-making processes in Estonia. Despite this, Laanet stated that Estonia should be content with the cooperation and the benefits it brings.
Cooperation between Estonia and the U.S. in the Danske Bank money laundering investigation was a politically sensitive issue domestically. It began during the government of Jüri Ratas and continued during Kaja Kallas’ first term in office.
Estonia actively collaborated with U.S. law enforcement authorities in investigating suspected money laundering at Danske Bank. The question of whether Estonia would receive a portion of the damages imposed in the U.S. was a contentious issue.
Following a U.S. investigation, Danske Bank pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud through its Estonian branch. The bank accepted a fine exceeding $2 billion and agreed to pay an additional $413 million under a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
, an independent military force, and allied militias in Sudan raped several dozen women and girls in West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, and those fleeing to Chad between late April and late June 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. The assailants appear to have targeted people because of their Massalit ethnicity and, in some cases, because they were known activists.){kind=link}