Maia Deguito, the RCBC branch manager in the centre of Bangladesh Bank digital heist, had offered one of her employees five million Philippine peso, apparently in exchange for his silence on the withdrawal from the branch of the $81 million stolen from Bangladesh’s central bank.
Romualdo Agarrado, a former officer of Philippines' Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) branch on Jupiter Street in Makati City, testified this before a senate committee on Thursday, reports Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Agarrado, formerly a customer service head of RCBC’s Jupiter business centre and now a reserve officer at the Manila office, testified at the Senate blue ribbon committee that Deguito made the “offer” at the Forbes Park home of another bank officer on February 12.
The offer was made apparently after Agarrado witnessed P20 million in cash withdrawn from the supposed bank account of William Go — one of five bank accounts where the stolen $81 million was deposited — being loaded into the car of Deguito and her leaving the bank with the money.
Agarrado’s testimony further pinned down Deguito for her involvement in the money-laundering scam. RCBC officials are accusing the branch manager of being behind the facilitation of the withdrawals of the stolen money.
However, the resigned assistant manager of the RCBC branch yesterday came to the defence of manager Deguito and cried harassment from RCBC executives.
In an interview over local radio dzBB, Angela Torres belied the claims of Agarrado.
“Almost all of Mr Agarrado’s statements in the Senate hearing yesterday [Thursday] were lies. The cash was not put in a paper bag, instead it was placed in a box and was loaded to William Go’s Lexus. Agarrado was not telling the truth when he said that the money was loaded to Ms Maia’s car,” Inquirer quoted Torres as saying.
Offer recounted
Agarrado, in his Senate testimony, recounted how the P5 million offer was made to him by Deguito.
He said he helped count the P20 million cash order made by Angela Torres, Deguito’s aide, on February 5. The money was withdrawn from the account of William Go, who later accused Deguito of opening the account without his knowledge and consent.
The money was placed in a box and brought to the room of Deguito, who at the time was talking to someone on the phone, Inquirer reported Agarrado as saying.
He said he saw the P20 million being loaded by a bank messenger, Jovie Morales, into the car of Deguito.
“I clearly saw it because I was sitting in front of the glass main door,” Agarrado said, of the money being loaded into the branch manager’s car.
Don’t tell auditors
On February 11, Agarrado said there were recall orders for funds sent to the branch by the head office and he informed Deguito about this. But the branch manager just “stared blankly” at him, Agarrado said.
Later on, Agarrado said Deguito called him and Torres, and told them she had to process the transaction.
“I would rather do this than me being killed and my family,” he quoted Deguito as telling them.
On the same day, internal auditors of the bank went to the branch to question its personnel and before he was interviewed, Agarrado said he had the chance to talk to Torres.
He told Torres he saw the P20 million loaded into Deguito’s car but the latter told him not to tell the auditors or Deguito would be in trouble.
“Thus, I no longer brought this matter up when I was being interviewed by the internal auditors,” Agarrado said in his affidavit which the RCBC submitted to the Senate blue ribbon committee.
However, in her radio interview, Torres said Agarrado’s allegations were untrue, and claimed that she was receiving threats from the bank’s executives.
“I know the transaction because it transpired in our branch. What Mr Agarrado said that the cash was loaded to Deguito’s car [was not true]… The RCBC was over-acting to do this to us. I don’t know why RCBC is doing this to us.”
Denying that she had personal gains in the transactions, Torres said she was willing to testify before the Senate to speak of nothing but the truth.
P5M for retirement
In his testimony, Agarrado said he was invited by a reserve officer, Adrian Yujuico, and other colleagues to the latter’s Forbes Park home for dinner and was surprised to find out that Deguito was also there.
“Branch manager Maia told me that her lawyer was asking how much my retirement benefits would be, and she said that I should compute the same. She then asked me, is P5 million enough for you?” Agarrado said in his affidavit and which he repeated in his Senate testimony.
He said Morales, the bank messenger who was with them at the dinner, tapped his shoulder and said the P5 million was “OK.”
In his testimony, Agarrado said he was surprised and confused by the offer. He said he later realised the big picture.
The last time he communicated with Deguito was on March 5 when he texted her to tell the truth. She replied by saying she was not hiding and she was telling the truth.
Deguito has declined to answer queries of senators on Agarrado’s testimony but repeatedly said she would talk freely in a closed-door session.
Deguito’s insistence on an executive session prompted Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile to threaten her to be cited for contempt.
In the end though, they talked to Deguito in an executive session and allowed the Bangladesh ambassador, Maj Gen John Gomes, to be present as an observer.
Deguito, 4 others summoned
Philippines Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday summoned Deguito to answer the criminal complaint filed against her and several others by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
Aside from Deguito, also summoned are Michael Francisco Cruz, Jessie Christopher Lagrosas, Alfred Santos Vergara, and Enrico Teodoro Vasquez. Cruz, Lagrosas, Vergara and Vasquez are allegedly fictitious names according to the AMLC.
Deguito and the others are required to appear before the DOJ on April 12 and 19.
