A probe by Deutsche Bank into questionable share trades involving its Moscow unit has prompted further enquiries into whether a senior staff member took bribes, a source familiar with the situation said on Friday. The bribery investigation, which is at an early stage, is examining unexplained funds in accounts controlled by the staff member and the staff member's spouse, the source said. Germany's largest lender is also looking at trades made by between 10 and 12 mainly Russian broker counterparties, the person said.
A Deutsche Bank spokeswoman referred to the lender's second-quarter report, in which it said it was investigating certain equity trades by clients in London and Moscow and was reviewing whether violations of law, regulation or policy had occurred. It said the volume of these trades was significant but did not give any detail of their nature. The quarterly report also said Deutsche Bank had informed financial regulators and law enforcement agencies in Germany, Russia, Britain and the United States of its investigation and had taken disciplinary measures against some people in the case, which came to light in early June. US Department of Justice officials have demanded information from Deutsche Bank in the DoJ's own investigation of the trades, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters earlier this month.