Staff Reporter :Casino junket operator Kim Wong has returned another US$4.34 million to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). The amount is believed to be part of the alleged $81 million funds stolen from the Bangladesh’s central bank.AMLC Executive Director Julia Bacay-Abad confirmed this during the 6th hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee held on Tuesday.Abad said, Wong’s company Eastern Hawaii Leisure through its lawyers turned over the money to their office “for safekeeping” on Monday.This is in addition to the $4.63 million Wong’s legal counsel turned over to AMLC on March 31, and $0.83 million (P38.28 million) on April 4.Wong company Eastern Hawaii got hold of P1 billion or $21.575 million of the stolen funds.Although some of the funds were returned to AMLC, Bangladesh Ambassador to the Philippines John Gomes said the turnover of the stolen money “will take a little more time.”According to Philippines laws, without written consent from Wong, the recourse would have to be a civil forfeiture case in court, which is set to be filed by AMLC in the coming days, Bacay-Abad said.Philippines senators also urged the operators of Midas Hotel and Casino as well as Solaire Resort and Casino to return the dirty money to Bangladesh Bank.Of the stolen money, Wong said that about $63 million went to Solaire and Midas, while the remaining $17 million is supposedly still with PhilRem – a claim denied by the company’s officers.
