Landbank cashier probed on tax payment diversion

Was she in on it or not?

A cashier of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) branch in Binangonan, Rizal was invited for questioning by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday in connection with its investigation into alleged laundering and diversion of P205 million in tax payments.

Efren Meneses, head of the NBI’s Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division, said Acsa Ramirez, 37, will be questioned to confirm if she was involved in the alleged tax diversion and if she failed to report large deposits she received as bank cashier to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

Meneses said they are rushing their investigation because the perpetrators of the alleged tax diversion scam are now trying to cover their tracks.

The NBI earlier arrested Landbank branch manager Artemio San Juan, who was charged with 17 alleged violations of the Anti-Money Laundering Act between February and June this year.

San Juan allegedly failed to report a series of tax payments totaling over P4 million to the AMLC.

The alleged scam was uncovered when the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) probed corporations that seemed to have stopped paying taxes.

The tax funds were allegedly deposited in three dummy accounts instead of being remitted to the BIR.

Probers said the firms issued checks as tax payments to the BIR through Landbank. As proof of payment, the taxpayers were given receipts that probers found to have been falsified.

The NBI probe will cover all branches of Landbank as well as the Philippine National Bank and Development Bank of the Philippines.