Latvian Central Bank Governor Detained

Anti-corruption authorities in Latvia have detained the governor of the country's central bank, Ilmars Rimsevices, the Baltic news agency BNS reported.

Latvian media said officers of the Corruption Prevention Bureau (KNAB) had also staged raids at the bank governor's residence and his offices at the Bank of Latvia.

Rimsevices was detained by the KNAB Saturday evening and questioned for about seven hours before being taken to another location at about 1:30am Sunday, said a BNS journalist at the scene.

The KNAB would neither confirm nor deny the report.

"The KNAB will comment on this matter and issue an explanation as soon as it will be possible to do so and will not hinder the investigation," the bureau's spokeswoman Laura Dusa said, quoted by BNS.

The agency quoted Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis as saying that he would chair an emergency cabinet meeting on the situation on Monday.

But he added "there are no signs that there is any threat to the Latvian financial system". (AFP)