NBI identifies holder of bogus tax scam account

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has identified another holder of the four dummy accounts in the P203-million tax diversion scam at the Land Bank of the Philippines’ Binangonan branch.

In a letter to President Arroyo, NBI director Reynaldo Wycoco identified the true holder of the Roberto Lucero account as a certain Loreto Castillo.

Unfortunately, Wycoco admitted that Castillo has already left the country.

Wycoco said they have reason to believe that the P22.1-million tax payment made by Matsushita Industrial Corp. that was diverted to the Lucero account was completely withdrawn immediately after deposit.

Aside from the Roberto Lucero account, the NBI’s Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division earlier identified the three other dummy accounts to be under the names of Alma Clemente, Jose Francisco and Joven Aquino.

Wycoco told the President that the NBI has identified the true holder of the Clemente account, but they need more evidence to confirm this.

Earlier, the NBI said a certain Felix Magpantay Villegas was the real holder of the Joven Aquino account.

Wycoco said another suspect, Rival Lazanas, a former messenger of the Landbank of the Philippines Service Corp. and assigned to the Landbank’s Sta. Rosa, Laguna branch, has also left for abroad.

Others charged in the tax diversion scam were Landbank-Binangonan branch employees Artemio San Juan, Acsa Ramirez and Ramon Joven, as well as Ronilo Yu, Teodorico DJ Rivera and Resty Rivera.

The NBI filed with the Anti-Money Laundering Council of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas yesterday three counts of violation of Section 4a (transacting the proceeds of an unlawful activity) of the Anti-Money Laundering Law against Lazanas, Castillo, Clemente and several John Does. — Mike Frialde