RCBC fires Jupiter branch officers over $81-M money laundering claim

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) has terminated the employment of Jupiter branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito and senior customer relations officer Angela Torres, alleging the women were involved in the $81-million money laundering scheme.

“RCBC has terminated Maia Deguito and Angela Torres, the top two officials of the bank’s Jupiter branch, for violating bank policies and procedure and falsification of commercial documents,” the bank said in an emailed statement.

Other branch and bank officials are expected to be “meted out” various sanctions ranging from termination to suspension, pending the completion of an internal investigation, the bank said.

“Appropriate charges in court will be filed by the bank against Deguito and Torres by next week,” RCBC said.

Deguito is also facing criminal charges in line with a joint complaint affidavit filed with the Department of Justice by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for violating the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

Criminal charges

Deguito is facing criminal charges before the Department of Justice, filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), for violating the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

Businessman William Go, for his part, filed charges of falsification of commercial documents against Deguito and Torres before the Makati Prosecutor's Office last week for supposedly forging his signatures to open accounts at the Jupiter branch where the stolen funds were initially stored.

Deguito's lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said the "expected" dismissal of his client is part of a cover-up allegedly by the bank.

"In fact, the announcement is malicious as Ms. Torres has told our client (Deguito) that she has resigned after having been harassed no end by top management," Topacio said in a text message to GMA News Online.

Torres earlier told a radio station that she quit RCBC on March 11.

Pharisees and hypocrites

Topacio alleged that it may be no coincidence that the announcement came during the Holy Week, "with RCBC top management playing the role of Pontius Pilate washing its hands of the sordid affair."

"The people of RCBC are also pandering to the mob by their relentless attacks against my client in media during what is supposed to be a time of sacred reflection, playing the role of Pharisees and hypocrites. So decidedly unChristian!" the lawyer also claimed. 

Deguito must be a fall guy as she could not have pulled off the huge money laundering scheme without the knowledge of higher-ups at the banks, Topacio earlier said.

Deguito named two senior RCBC executives who could be part of the bank heist.

However, Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee which heard the bank manager's testimony at a closed-door session on March 17, declined to disclose their identities.

The bank, the Senate, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council are separately investigating scheme. – Virgil Lopez/Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS, GMA News