Former RCBC officer claims Go received funds stolen from Bangladesh account

A former employee of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) claimed that businessman William Go personally received P20 million from his account at the Jupiter branch, which was believed to be part of the $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh Bank account in New York.

Angela Torres, former senior customer relations officer of RCBC Jupiter branch in Makati City, insisted in a radio interview on Thursday that she delivered the cash, along with bank messenger Jovy Morales, to Go.

She resigned from the bank on Friday, March 11, but did not say why other than noting that she was with RCBC for one year and three months and that she would be willing to testify before the Senate blue ribbon committee investigating the $81-million money laundering scheme.

The Filipino-Chinese businessman, "a valued client" of the bank, was sitting in his car outside the Jupiter branch when he received the money, Torres said.

"Binaba ni Go ang salamin, nasa passenger seat siya. Kilala ko po siya..." Torres said, noting the money was placed in a box that was smaller than a "Balikbayan box."

The money was in P500 and P1000 bills, she said.

Torres claimed the withdrawal was authorized by the businessman and Jupiter branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito.

Torres said she requested the RCBC cash center to release the P20 million, which arrived 5:30 to 5:45 p.m. at the Jupiter branch.

Torres said she and former customer service head, Romualdo Agarrado, received the money.

Agarrado, however, claimed at the Senate hearing on Thursday that Deguito drove off with the P20 million in a paper bag that was loaded into her car.

Agarrado told the committee he is currently the RCBC reserve officer for the Makati Area 2. He was the customer service head of the Jupiter branch from March 16, 2015 to February 2016.

Macel Fernandez-Estavillo, head of the RCBC Legal and Regulatory Affairs Group, also told the Senate committee that Deguito was the one who took the money – not Go.

"First, the P20 million cash was actually not placed in the car of Mr. William Go but we have an affidavit of our customer service head that the P20 million cash was placed in the car of Ms. Maia Deguito and she drove off with it," Estavillo noted before Agarrado gave his testimony. – Virgil Lopez/VDS, GMA News