By Butch Fernandez
Dismissed Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Jupiter Branch Manager Maia Deguito, invoking health reasons, asked Senate probers to excuse her from appearing at today’s (Tuesday) resumption of the Blue Ribbon inquiry into the $81-million money-laundering case involving funds stolen by hackers from a Bank of Bangladesh account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Through her substitute counsel, former Sen.Rene Saguisag, Deguito pleaded to be given until next week to recover from an unspecified ailment, promising to make herself available for further questioning by then.
“She begs on bended knees for a respite until after April 4, after which she commits dutifully to participate in further proceedings, expecting to regain her health and balance by then,” Saguisag said in a prepared statement he expects to be allowed to read at Tuesday’s Senate hearing.
Saguisag explained he was “asked to assist as cocounsel and consultant” as Deguito’s original lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, has a prior engagement.