Ep. 412: Revisited: Blowing the Whistle on Danske Bank

Guest: Howard Wilkinson, Allard Prize co-winner

As Russia continues to disrupt the world, we revisit a previous Conversation with Allard Prize for International Integrity co-winner Howard Wilkinson, the man who blew the whistle on the largest money laundering case in history.

Wilkinson uncovered and exposed an international money laundering scheme that reached all the way to the Russian secret police, which included relatives of President Vladimir Putin. So corrupt is the regime that more than 230 billion euros passed through bank accounts at the Danske Bank in Estonia.

Wilkinson reported his suspicions to senior officials at Danske Bank – to which the bank responded by letting him go, muzzling, and paying him off. His report, while not acted upon at the time, eventually came to light and he says, “Charges have been laid against 12 former bankers in Estonia and another 10 Danish bankers have been served with preliminary charges.” The scandal rocked the financial world in Europe and the US, where the Securities Commission and the Department of Justice are carrying out investigations.

We invited Howard Wilkinson to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the unveiling of the largest money laundering scheme in the world.