A 20-million peso (US$4.31) lakh cash believed to be part of the $81-million stolen funds from the Bank of Bangladesh was allegedly loaded to the vehicle of Maia Santos-Deguito, the branch manager of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC), a witness told a Senate hearing today.

Romualdo Agarrado, former customer service head of RCBC branch on Jupiter Street in Makati City, disclosed this when he testified at the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the alleged money laundering scheme that slipped through the Philippine financial system.

Agarrado said he personally saw the $4.31 lakh cash placed in a paper bag being loaded to the car of Deguito last February 5 when the inward remittance in the name of businessman William Go came in.

In the afternoon of February 5, Agarrado said, the branch’s assistant manager, Angela Torres, requested $4.31 lakh from the cash centre.

“Then around 5:30 in the afternoon, the armor car arrived from the cash center… bibilangin po namin yung cash (we would count the cash), that was $4.31 lakh requested from the cash center,” he said.

Agarrado said he and Torres immediately transferred the money to the teller.

“Between 6:30 [and] 6:45pm the teller, nilagay [nya] po sa box, binilang nya ulit, nilagay po sa room ni branch manager Maia Deguito. That time, si BM (branch manager) Maia po nasa labas ng branch, I think she was talking to somebody nasa cellphone,” he said.

(Between 6:30 [and] 6:45pm the teller placed the money in a box, counted it and put the cash in branch manager Maia Deguito’s room. That time BM Maia was outside the branch, I think she was talking to somebody on the cellphone.)

He said Jovy Morales, the bank messenger, then transferred the money from the box to a paper bag before loading it to Deguito’s vehicle with the help of Torres.

“Si Jovy Morales po ang nagload sa kotse ni manager Maia Deguito..sya po ang nagload assisted by Angela Torres,” Agarrado said.

(Jovy Morales loaded [the money] to the vehicle of manager Maia Deguito. Morales was the one who loaded it and was assisted by Angela Torres.)

“Kitang-kita ko po kasi nakaupo po ako sa table ko fronting the main door of the branch. Glass lang po sya so kitang kita yun sa labas, even though it was 6:30 or quarter to 7:00pm already, yung ilaw po ay maliwanag sa loob ng branch.

(I could clearly see it because I was sitting on the table fronting the main door of the branch. It was made of glass so it could be clearly seen outside, even though it was 6:30 or quarter to 7:00pm already, the lighting was clear inside the branch.)

“Personally nakita ko (I saw it personally),” Agarrado added.

Copyright: Philippine Daily Inquirer/ Asia News Network