IT was businessman William So Go who signed the withdrawal slip for the P20 million taken from his account at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) Jupiter Branch in Makati City (Metro Manila), a former senior customer relations officer of the bank said on Thursday.
Angela Torres, who also served as the assistant of RCBC Jupiter Branch manager Maia Deguito, added that she was among those who handed the P20 million cash to Go, who was waiting inside his car parked near the bank on February 5, 2016.
“May withdrawal slip, may pirma ni William Go. May approval ni Miss Deguito. Kaming dalawa po ang nagbilang, di po siya pumunta sa teller, [there was a withdrawal slip, with the signature of William Go. It was approved by Miss Deguito. We counted the money, he did not go to the teller],” Torres said in a radio interview aired over dzMM.
Torres’ statement contradicted the testimony of Romualdo Agarrado of the Jupiter Branch that the money was irregularly withdrawn from Go’s account by Deguito.
Torres admitted knowing Agarrado, saying it was he who received the P20 million when it was delivered to their branch on February 5 at 5:30 p.m.
She also denied Agarrado’s claim that the cash was placed inside a paper bag and was loaded into Deguito’s car, noting that the money was placed inside a box after they counted it on Agarrado’s table.
Torres said she saw Go’s vehicle, a gray Lexus, but she was not able to get the license plate because it was already dark.
Go, who was seated on the passenger side, rolled down his car windows when he saw Torres approaching.
Torres insisted that she recognized Go because she was the one who assisted him when he went to their branch.
At the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the laundering of $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh Bank in the country, Agarrado said he was the head of customer service of RCBC Jupiter Branch when the transaction happened.
He told senators that at 5:23 p.m., an armored car from RCBC business center delivered to their branch P20 million reportedly upon the request of Torres, who was also the assistant of Deguito.
The amount, Agarrado said, was withdrawn from the account of Go’s Centurytex Trading.
The money was loaded onto Deguito’s car by Jovie Morales, the bank’s messenger.
Several minutes later, Deguito left supposedly to deliver the money somewhere.
Agarrado said that on the same day, he, Deguito, Torres, Morales and reserve officer Adrian Yujuico had a meeting at the latter’s house in Forbes Park in Makati City.
According to him, it was Deguito who did most of the talking.
He said he cannot remember all the details but that Deguito told them that she already had four lawyers and one of them is an expert on anti-money laundering.
It was also during that meeting when Deguito asked him if he knows how much will be his retirement pay.
“Kasya na ba sa iyo ang P5 million (Is P5 million enough for you)?” Agarrado quoted Deguito.
On March 5, Agarrado texted Deguito to convince her to tell the truth but the latter replied that she was not in hiding and that she was telling the truth. That, he told the senators, was his last communication with Deguito.