Denmark: Repeat offender convicted of money laundering in the billions

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Photo: Birgit Reitz-Hofmann/ imago images/Shotshop

A 49-year-old has been sentenced to several years in prison in Denmark in a widespread money laundering scandal.

The Copenhagen City Court on Thursday sentenced the Lithuanian citizen to four years and one month in prison for attempted money laundering totaling 29.5 billion Danish kroner (almost 4 billion euros), according to prosecutors.

"This is the largest amount we have seen in a money laundering case in court in Denmark," said prosecutor Lisette Jørgensen.

It is a so-called additional sentence because the woman has already been sentenced to three years and 11 months in another case of money laundering of at least 140 million crowns (19 million euros).

In total, her sentence is eight years.

In addition, she will be permanently expelled from Denmark after serving time.

The woman has admitted to laundering the vast sum over the course of 2008 to 2016 through a series of limited partnerships that had accounts at the Estonian branch of Denmark's Danske Bank, according to the Ritzau news agency.

She is said to have helped Russian and Baltic businessmen in particular to disguise the origin of their wealth.

The Lithuanian has lived in Denmark since 2001 and accepted the verdict.

The affair negotiated on Thursday is linked to a more far-reaching scandal, as the public prosecutor explained.

Danske Bank was at the center of several investigations.

It was about 200 billion euros that flowed through their Estonian branch.

According to prosecutors, there were two other defendants in the case - a 49-year-old woman of Russian origin who was extradited and arrested by Britain in December, and a 56-year-old Lithuanian man living in Denmark.

ktz/dpa/afp