Bangladesh Bank files new case against 17 Philippine entities over 2016 cyber heist

Bangladesh Bank has filed a fresh civil case against 17 Philippine entities to recover the $81 million stolen in a 2016 cyber heist, CNN has reported.

They include Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation and Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc, a subsidiary of Bloomberry Resorts Corporation, which told the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday about the new case started last week.

Bloomberry Resorts Corporation is the company behind Solaire Resort and Casino in Manila, one of the entities through which the funds were transferred.

The charges against the companies include conversion, theft, or misappropriation and aiding and abetting such acts, conspiracy to commit fraud, trespass against chattels, and their ‘unjust enrichment’, CNN said citing Bloomberry’s disclosure.

In March, a United States District Court dismissed conspiracy charges against RCBC and local casinos for their supposed violation of the American law Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

RCBC, as well as Eastern Hawaii Leisure Company Ltd, Centurytex Trading, and remittance firm Philrem Service Corp and their officers have been cleared of the charges.

Bangladesh has appealed the ruling on the previous case before the US Circuit Court of Appeals, CNN said citing Bloomberry.

Bloomberry previously said the Bangladesh Bank is relying on these court cases to collect the amount it supposedly lost to North Korean hackers.

On Jan 11 last year, a Philippines court held a former manager of a RCBC branch guilty on eight counts of money laundering, the first conviction in the cyber heist.

Just $15 million of the stolen money has been recovered from a Manila junket operator, a role that involves marketing casinos to VIPs.