RCBC agrees to open 4 accounts linked to $81-M heist | ABS-CBN

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RCBC agrees to open 4 accounts linked to $81-M heist

RCBC agrees to open 4 accounts linked to $81-M heist

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MANILA - Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) is willing to open all records linked to four bank accounts that were used in laundering $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh Bank.

The bank's hands have been tied in discussing the details of the accounts, which are still open, because of the bank secrecy law. But in Tuesday's hearing, Senator Bam Aquino presented a certification from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) saying that the driver's licenses used in opening the accounts are fake.

Aquino said the LTO certificate gives "legal basis" to close the RCBC accounts, and therefore will no longer be covered by bank secrecy laws.

"This is proof already that the driver's licenses of the four accounts are fake...This is a legal basis for [RCBC] to close those accounts because these are fictitious IDs to open the accounts, and with that I hope that [RCBC] will now open up the record of all these accounts because they will be declared closed," the senator said.

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Macel Estavillo, the head of legal and regulatory affairs of RCBC, said RCBC is ready to speak on the four accounts as well as the account of businessman William Go, who earlier denied having opened any accounts with RCBC Jupiter branch.

The missing $81 million was deposited to several RCBC accounts, and was consolidated into an account supposedly opened by Go. Go has waived his rights under the bank secrecy law.

“We are ready to comply with the directive, we can speak on the William Go accounts. We do not have any waiver yet from Philrem, we sent them a letter last Friday asking for a waiver. If Philrem will give us their waiver, we will discuss all the accounts related to Philrem,” Estavillo said.

Philrem president Salud Bautista has refused to issue a waiver.

RCBC has issued an apology to the public after its employees were linked to the $81-million money laundering heist.

Go, meanwhile, has sued the former bank manager of RCBC Jupiter branch, Maia Deguito, and former senior customer relations officer Angela Torres for falsification of private documents used in opening accounts under his name.

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