Denmark suspends economic crime prosecutor

Denmark's prosecution service said on Thursday that the state prosecutor for serious economic and international crime, Morten Niels Jakobsen had been suspended until further notice.

"No further information about the background for this can be given at the moment," the service in a statement. Jakobsen, head of the SØIK financial and crime unit since 2014, has been overseeing a string of big cases including an investigation into Danske Bank for alleged violations of anti-money laundering laws in relation to its Estonian branch.

Last week, Denmark's Justice Minister voiced concerns over SØIK's handling of a case involving bunker fuel company Dan-Bunkering, which is under investigation for violating European Union sanctions against Syria. The state prosecutor's office told Reuters that the decision was not linked to the Dan-Bunkering case, but declined to elaborate further.

Reuters was not able to contact Jakobsen by phone.