Danske Bank facing criminal investigation from US DoJ
Danske Bank is facing a criminal investigation from the US Department of Justice into its €200bn money laundering scandal, raising the possibility of a large fine for Denmark’s biggest lender.
Danske said on Thursday that it had received requests for information from the DoJ but that the timing and outcome of the probe was unknown.
“We are co-operating with the authorities investigating us as a result of the case. However, it is too early to speculate on any outcome of the investigations,” said Danske’s interim chief executive, Jesper Nielsen.
The Danish government has said it is doing everything to avoid Danske suffering the same fate as ABLV, a Latvian lender, which was forced to liquidate itself earlier this year after US authorities ordered banks to stop clearing dollars on its behalf.
Analysts predict Danske could face a multibillion-dollar fine over the scandal with Jyske estimating it could reach $8bn on both sides of the Atlanti