Bangladesh Bank today filed a case with a New York court over the cyber heist of its reserves in which $81 million was stolen nearly three years ago.
The case was filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York around 7:00am (NY time 8:00pm) against Philippines' Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) to recover the full amount stolen in the February, 2016 heist, Abu Hena Mohammed Raji Hasan, head of Bangladesh Finance Intelligence Unit (BIFU) of Bangladesh Bank.
The case was filed through online with the court in Manhattan in New York City and the court accepted the lawsuit immediately, he said.
"RCBC and its senior personnel had full authority and control over these accounts, and all of the RCBC personnel who touched them, from the opening of the fictitious accounts, to terminating the short-lived hold, to allowing the numerous transactions to continue despite their knowledge or reckless disregard of the nature of the stolen funds," Bangladesh Bank said in the case statement.
In 2016, hackers made off with $81 million from the BB account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The money was wired to RCBC's branch in Manila but only $14.54 was returned after the theft came to light.
The Bangladesh team on January 30 this year signed an agreement with NY Fed for resolution and assistance.
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