DHAKA: The Bangladesh Bank is a step closer to recovering a portion of the $81 million fund stolen by hackers from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Anti Money Laundering Council executive director Julia Bacay-Abad said on the sidelines of the 100th anniversary celebration of the Philippine National Bank (PNB) a lower court in Manila already granted its petition for civil forfeiture filed last May. Abad said the forfeiture order covers the funds amounting to about $15 million turned over by casino junket operator Kim Wong to the AMLC in April and May.
Abad said the Bangladesh government should now file a third party claim so the funds currently kept at the vault of the BSP would finally be released. Under the rule on civil forfeiture, any person or party who has a claim on the amount forfeited should file a verified petition with the same court that rendered the order of forfeiture.
Last April 18, Regional Trial Court in the National Capital Region Executive Judge Reynaldo Alhambra issued a provisional asset preservation order (PAPO) forbidding the respondents from transacting, withdrawing, transferring, removing, converting, concealing or disposing the assets covered by the order for a period of 20 days.
