Bank of Latvia says operating normally after report governor's property searched

RIGA (Reuters) - The home and office of Latvia's central bank governor was searched on Friday by the country's corruption prevention agency, the state broadcaster said on Saturday.

A spokesman for the Bank of Latvia said a search - whose details he did not specify - had taken place, adding that the governor, Ilmars Rimsevics, had not been detained and the bank was operating as usual.

"He's not detained at the moment... It is a search and KNAB (the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau) usually establishes any restrictions on what the person can or cannot do," spokesman Janis Silakalns said.

"I don't have any information at my disposal on whether (any restrictions) have been imposed on (Rimsevics)."

The KNAB neither confirmed nor denied the Latvian Television report. The Bureau would not give any further comments for the time being, spokeswoman Laura Dusa said.

The Central Bank is an independent institution and Rimsevics has been its head since 2001.

Rimsevics has also been a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank since January 2014, when Latvia adopted the euro.

(Reporting by Gederts Gelzis; editing by Alison Williams and John Stonestreet)