RCBC asks why BB still not releases cyber probe report

The Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC), which handled $81 million stolen from Bangladesh Bank account in 2016, said it is ready to face Dhaka’s lawsuit in New York, ABS-CBN News reports.

Bangladesh, according to officials concerned, is expected to sue the Filipino bank at a New York court sometime on Thursday.

ABS-CBN News quoting an RCBC statement issued on Wednesday said it welcomes the BB’s complaint to be lodged with New York court over the heist that funneled some $81-million through one of its Makati branches.

The bank called itself "a victim of what was started in Bangladesh by still unnamed persons."

Instead, as reported, RCBC rued that it had provided Philippine Senate hearings all information allowed by local laws, but the Bangladesh Bank refused to "release its full and complete findings almost three years after the fact."

"We hope BB can be transparent and stop blaming everybody but itself. The complaint will allow us to finally get the information we, and the Philippine government, have been asking BB to provide," the RCBC statement read.

It reportedly said: "RCBC is ready to face Bangladesh Bank (BB) in court. In fact, RCBC has engaged a top tier NY (New York) law firm to handle RCBC’s defense."

The report mentioned that unidentified hackers transferred some $81-million to fictitious accounts in RCBC after they stole the amount from Bangladesh Bank's account with the New York Federal Reserve in 2016.

The money was later shifted to casino accounts and Bangladeshi authorities have recovered at least $15 million.

ABS-CBN News mentioned that the RCBC was fined a record P1 billion by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas over the heist.

Maia Santos Deguito, a former manager of the branch where the accounts were funneled into, was convicted of money laundering in connection with the case.

She was sentenced to 4 to 7 years in prison for each of the 8 counts and was fined a total of $109 million.