Bloomberry Resorts & Hotels Inc (BRHI), a subsidiary of the company that operates Manila’s Solaire Resort & Casino, has received a summons in relation to a civil case filed by Bangladesh Bank against 17 defendants.
The bank is trying to recoup US$81 million stolen by hackers in 2016; in the notorious cyber-heist case, the money was funneled through Philippines casinos including Solaire and the Midas Hotel & Casino in the Clark Freeport Zone.
According to a report in GGRAsia, the complaint alleges conversion, theft and misappropriation; aiding and abetting; conspiracy; fraud; aiding and abetting and conspiracy to commit fraud; conspiracy to commit trespass against chattels; unjust enrichment; and return of money received.
The case was filed despite the fact that Bangladesh Bank’s appeal against the dismissal of an earlier civil case by the United States District Court is still pending.
The original 2016 incident saw North Korean hackers issued 35 fraudulent instructions to transfer almost US$1 billion from Bangladesh Bank’s account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The U.S. bank blocked the majority of those but not before five transactions worth a combined US$101 million were processed.
Bangladesh Bank eventually recouped US$20 million traced to Sri Lanka, however US$81 million transferred to the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) in the Philippines was transacted and lost, partially through casinos, including Solaire, where some of the funds were used to purchase gaming chips and play in junket rooms.
Bloomberry has said it “will vigorously defend itself against these baseless charges.”
