In the Philippines, casino operator, Bloomberry Resorts Corporation has announced that its Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Incorporated subsidiary has been named as a co-defendant in a lawsuit connected to the theft three years ago of $81 million from the central bank of Bangladesh.

North Korean hackers:

The Manila-listed firm used an official Wednesday filing (pdf) to reveal that the civil action from the state-run Bangladesh Bank was filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on the final day of January and is attempting to recover at least some of the funds it lost to an alleged ring of North Korean hackers in February of 2016.

Laundering allegations:

Bangladesh Bank earlier declared that it believes the cash was electronically pilfered from an account it held with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York before being routed through the Philippines’ Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation and disappearing via at least two Manila-area casinos including Bloomberry Resorts Corporation’s giant, Solaire Resort and Casino.

Defending its corner:

However, Bloomberry used yesterday’s filing to state that its subordinate now intends to ‘defend itself’ in the matter of Bangladesh Bank v Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation as it ‘was not complicit in this case’ and views itself as ‘a victim.’ It also proclaimed that its subsidiary ‘had no knowledge’ the funds that were allegedly used to purchase gaming chips inside its Solaire Resort and Casino had been stolen.

Bloomberry’s filing read…

“It appears that Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Incorporated is one of the 17 Philippine companies and individuals impleaded as defendants in that case. Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Incorporated has given a full account of the funds that went through its bank account and has disclosed the identity and passports of all those involved. Furthermore, the complicity and negligence of people and companies that allowed the funds to be stolen, moved and converted before they reached Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Incorporated were the proximate causes of the loss of Bangladesh Bank.”