MANILA — A former executive of a Surigao City-based bank has been found guilty of falsifying and fabricating loan accounts and now faces years of jail time, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Tuesday.

In a statement, the BSP said the Regional Trial Court and the Municipal Trial Court in Cities in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte convicted former Surigao City Evergreen Rural Bank, Inc. (SCERBI) vice president and manager Arnel P. Bernales for violating the General Banking Law of 2000, the New Central Bank Act, and the Revised Penal Code.

The BSP filed a criminal complaint against Bernales for falsifying and fabricating 9 loan accounts. It also alleged that the former bank executive made a false statement in a loan listing submitted during a regular examination by the BSP on SCERBI.

The courts sentenced Bernales to five years of imprisonment for each of the 10 counts of making a false statement, and a minimum of six months to a maximum of two years and four months imprisonment.

He was also slapped with a P2,000 fine for each of the nine counts of falsification of documents. The BSP said it "continues to promote compliance with existing rules and regulations through good governance among its supervised institutions to protect the welfare of the general public and foster a stable financial system."

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