Bank sues workers for stealing from clients

Two bank workers have been separately charged in court by their employer for allegedly stealing money from their clients.

Six counts of qualified theft were filed in the Manila Regional Trial Court on Monday against Jay San Rafael, a former Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) relationship manager. A similar case was also filed against Dianne Barit, a BPI teller.

In a complaint-affidavit, a BPI service manager said that San Rafael, who was with the BPI Morayta branch for more than 15 years, betrayed the bank’s trust when he set up an automated teller machine account under the name of a client without the latter’s knowledge.

San Rafael allegedly diverted to the account almost P3 million which was withdrawn in varying amounts between January and August 2011.

The client, however, filed a complaint with BPI after receiving through mail a bank statement of the unauthorized account.

When confronted, San Rafael denied the allegation and said it was all a mistake. The city prosecutor, however, approved the filing of charges against him with no bail recommended.

On the other hand, Barit, a teller at the BPI Remedios branch, was accused of forging the signature of a client to illegally withdraw $250 from the latter’s dollar account.

Assistant City Prosecutor Rommelia Quiming-Baguio, who recommended the filing of the case, said Barit showed up at the preliminary investigation although she did not submit a counteraffidavit. He set her bail at P30,000.