Bank clears Solaire, City of Dreams Manila in $100M launder storm

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC), the bank named in a money laundering controversy involving hundreds of millions of dollars in the Philippines, said it does not deal with casinos as part of its “corporate good governance.”

Last week, reports surfaced that some $100 million from a Bangladeshi financial institution found its way to the Philippines via an RCBC branch, allegedly consolidated into an account of a Chinese businessman who runs a local junket operation. The money, reportedly owned by the junket’s Macau-based client, was used in part “to either ‘buy chips’ or ‘pay for casino losses’ incurred at Solaire Resort and Casino, City of Dreams Manila and Midas Hotel and Casino” before it was moved to an overseas bank account.

In an interview with the Philippine Star, RCBC vice chairman Cesar Virata clarified that they essentially cannot have casino clients due to an investment made by International Finance Corp. (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, to the bank.

“We are not allowed to deal with casinos,” Virata told the news outlet. Aside from casinos, the bank also only has limited transactions with tobacco and liquor companies.