A former KGB agent sent an email to Parex Bank whistleblower John Christmas.  While reading about connections with the “Russian mafia” and smuggling “nuclear component,” remember that Parex is fraudulently funded by the EBRD and has been “audited” for many years by Ernst & Young and PWC.  Latvian taxpayers should wonder why the highest spending priority of the Latvian government in all of Latvian history was bailing out the shell-company deposits at Parex.  The email below is being posted with the permission of the author.

Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2013 08:34:11 +0000
From: xxxxx
Subject: RE: Latvian State Police – referral by Luke Harding
To: xxxxx

Dear John,

Many thanks for your emails, which I found out to be very interesting. In relation to possible exposure of Parex: First of all, apart of yourself, I have completely different background (not financial one) and therefore, my knowledge about Parex an, particularly about its two “main gurus” – Kargin and Krasovitsky – is based on slightly different info. I was familiar with both these ‘geniuses’ since the time when Parex was not a largest bank in Latvia, but when it was a small currency exchange company. At that time, I came across to knowledge that they were heavily involved into money laundry (including ‘legalisation’ of so-called soviet communist party’s secret assets) ops conducted by both the Russian organised crime and Russian security services illegally operating in Baltic region. For instance, I am aware that Parex (Kargin and Krasovitsky) actively used for these ops certain ‘commercial’ firms which were in front of the Russian security services. In addition, I am aware about one illegal deal with participation of Parex (provided cash), when the specific amount of the nuclear component has been smuggled through the territory of Latvia to the West. Secondly, all my further intel I have received regarding Parex, due the nature of my ex-espionage work, was related to that similar “business”. For instance, I am aware they used for their illegal operations some offshore “bank” located in Republic of Nauru, as well as I am aware about one shadowy deal with issuing a fictitious bank guarantee (by Parex Bank) to the representatives of Russian mafia in the amount of 50mlns USD in 1997/98. Based on all the above, I am afraid my expertise about Parex is quiet specific and differ from your own intel. In the given circumstances, please, feel free meeting me so we can discuss the possible effective way whether and how can we work together in the future.

Kind regards,

Boris Karpichkov from London

Here is an article about Mr. Karpichkov:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/22/confessions-of-a-kgb-spy