Text messages show RCBC exec OK'd transfer of Bangladesh fund, Deguito camp claims

A Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) official apparently allowed the transfer of $81 million stolen from the bank account of the central bank of Bangladesh in New York to Philippine casinos as the local bank's branch would stand to earn from it, a report on "24 Oras" said Wednesday. 

 

The lawyer of former RCBC branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito furnished GMA News a copy of the transcript of her text message conversations with RCBC regional sales director Brigitte Capina regarding the transfer of funds to PhilRem Service Corp., the remittance firm which converted a portion of the $81 million into Philippine pesos before it was delivered to a certain Weikang Xu and the casinos. 

 

The text messages indicated that Deguito and Capina were interested in keeping the money in the bank as a way to boost the average daily balance of the bank's Jupiter branch in Makati. 

 

"Sana meron ADB (average daily balance). Because they are questioning why there is no transaction prior to the remittance. Sana ginamit nila ang account muna prior to the remittance, Capina's purported message read.

 

"I am just respectfully requesting for your assistance on the compliance side...Super harassed na un branch mam...Naiintindihan ko naman po that they are just doing what the situation is asking for...Naaawa lang ako sa mga tao ko mam kasi ako nman ang may dala nitong referred account na to pero sila ang napuputukan," an SMS attributed to Deguito read.

 

According to investinganswers.com, an online financial dictionary, the average daily balance calculates interest "by considering the balance owed or invested at the end of each day of the period rather than the balance owed or invested at the end of the week, month or year."

 

At one point in their conversation, Capina asked Deguito to ensure that RCBC would earn from moving the funds stolen from the Bangladesh Bank's account in New York last February because a certain RBT took a risk for it. 

 

Capina: Ok. Be sure we get the ADB. KC RBT risked to have that credited. He is being questioned now.

 

Deguito: I will make sure po. 

 

Deguito said RBT stands for Raul B. Tan, who is the treasury group head of RCBC. 

 

Sought for a comment, RCBC legal and regulatory affairs group chief Maria Celia Estavillo said Deguito was twisting facts to suit her story.  

 

"Yung version niya medyo pinapalitan niya yung timeline at medyo binabago niya para magmukhang wala siyang kinalaman sa pagbilis ng pag-withdraw nung pera," Estavillo said. 

 

Deguito and senior customer relations officer Angela Torres were already found by RCBC to have been involved in the scheme. 

 

RCBC fired them late last month for violating bank policies and procedure and falsification of commercial documents.

 

Torres, in an exclusive interview with GMA News, said she was transferred to the RCBC branch in Makati Avenue after the bank got wind of the suspected money laundering scheme.

 

The former bank officer said she was put in a room where she underwent intense questioning from RCBC investigators. 

 

"Ang sinasabi sa akin, 'sinungaling ka, sabihin mo na ang totoo.' Ganun na po sila magsalita sa akin," Torres said.

 

Estavillo belied this claim. 

 

"Nilagay siya sa isang room. Maraming tao. Malinis ang konsiyensya ko na maayos 'yung pagtatanong sa kanya," she said. 

 

Torres has already filed a complaint for illegal dismissal before the National Labor Relations Commission, according to the report.  — APG, GMA News