Bangladesh's central bank on Thursday sued a Philippine bank to recoup losses it suffered when unidentified hackers stole $81 million from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York nearly three years ago.

In a complaint filed with the US District Court in Manhattan, Bangladesh Bank accused Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) and dozens of others, including several top executives, of involvement in a "massive" and "intricately planned" multi-year conspiracy to steal its money.

Bangladesh Bank said funds were stolen with the help of unnamed North Korean hackers who used malware with such names as "Nestegg" and "Macktruck" to obtain backdoor access its network.

It said funds were then funnelled through RCBC accounts in New York City and to the Philippines, where much of it disappeared in that country's casino industry.

RCBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment after market hours.

It had said on Wednesday, after learning the lawsuit would be filed: "We welcome this complaint, as it is an opportunity for RCBC to put on record again that it was a victim of what was started in Bangladesh by still-unnamed persons."

The case arose from a February 2016 incident when hackers tricked the New York Fed into sending out the $81 million.

Funds eventually landed in four accounts held in fake names at an RCBC branch in Makati City. Much of it was quickly withdrawn, and only about $15 million has been recovered.

RCBC, based in Manila, has contended that the theft was an inside job and accused Bangladesh Bank of a cover-up.

Fazle Kabir, governor of Bangladesh Bank, said on Wednesday the New York Fed had signed an agreement to help with the case.

A New York Fed spokeswoman declined to discuss what support her office might offer.

The hackers sought to steal close to $1 billion, but ultimately stole $101 million, including $20 million sent to a Sri Lankan account. That transfer was reversed after a spelling error was caught.

On Jan. 10, a Philippine court found Maia Deguito, who managed RCBC's Makati City branch, guilty of eight counts of money laundering tied to the heist. It sentenced her to a 32- to 56-year prison term and a $109 million fine.

Deguito is a defendant in Thursday's lawsuit. Her lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

In August 2016, the Philippine central bank fined RCBC a record 1 billion pesos ($19 million) for failing to stop stolen money from moving through the bank.

The case is Bangladesh Bank v Rizal Commercial Banking Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 19-00983.

Bangladesh's central bank on Thursday sued a Philippine bank to recoup losses it suffered when unidentified hackers stole $81 million from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York nearly three years ago.

Bangladesh's central bank on Thursday sued a Philippine bank to recoup losses it suffered when unidentified hackers stole $81 million from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York nearly three years ago. In a complaint filed with the US District Court in Manhattan, Bangladesh Bank accused Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) and dozens of others, including several top executives, of involvement in a "massive" and "intricately planned" multi-year conspiracy to steal its money. Bangladesh Bank said funds were stolen with the help of unnamed North Korean hackers who used malware with such names as "Nestegg" and "Macktruck" to obtain backdoor access its network. It said funds were then funnelled through RCBC accounts in New York City and to the Philippines, where much of it disappeared in that country's casino industry. RCBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment after market hours. It had said on Wednesday, after learning the lawsuit would be filed: "We welcome this complaint, as it is an opportunity for RCBC to put on record again that it was a victim of what was started in Bangladesh by still-unnamed persons." The case arose from a February 2016 incident when hackers tricked the New York Fed into sending out the $81 million. Funds eventually landed in four accounts held in fake names at an RCBC branch in Makati City. Much of it was quickly withdrawn, and only about $15 million has been recovered. RCBC, based in Manila, has contended that the theft was an inside job and accused Bangladesh Bank of a cover-up. Fazle Kabir, governor of Bangladesh Bank, said on Wednesday the New York Fed had signed an agreement to help with the case. A New York Fed spokeswoman declined to discuss what support her office might offer. The hackers sought to steal close to $1 billion, but ultimately stole $101 million, including $20 million sent to a Sri Lankan account. That transfer was reversed after a spelling error was caught. On Jan. 10, a Philippine court found Maia Deguito, who managed RCBC's Makati City branch, guilty of eight counts of money laundering tied to the heist. It sentenced her to a 32- to 56-year prison term and a $109 million fine. Deguito is a defendant in Thursday's lawsuit. Her lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment. In August 2016, the Philippine central bank fined RCBC a record 1 billion pesos ($19 million) for failing to stop stolen money from moving through the bank. The case is Bangladesh Bank v Rizal Commercial Banking Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 19-00983.

Bangladesh sues Philippine bank over cyber heist at New York Federal Reserve Bank

Former Gujarat police officer N K Amin, an accused in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, on Saturday told a CBI court in Ahmedabad that there was a "conspiracy" to prove that the encounter was fake.

Arguing in person over his discharge application before special CBI judge J K Pandya, Amin said the FIR against him was "fabricated, biased and based on false facts".

Amin, accused in the charge sheet of firing five rounds from his gun at Ishrat Jahan and three others on June 14, 2004, claimed that IPS officer Satish Verma, a former investigator in the case, was also behind the conspiracy.

Verma was part of the conspiracy hatched at the behest of "the political party then in power" as he (Verma) allowed I K Chauhan, a former accused in the case, to turn a prosecution witness and depose against Amin despite knowing that he was stating blatant lies, Amin said.

Chauhan was a police inspector with the Ahmedabad crime branch at the time of the alleged fake encounter.

Amin and retired IPS officer D G Vanzara, both on bail, in this case, have filed applications for discharge.

The CBI has opposed their pleas, saying it has sufficient evidence against them.

The court recently discharged former Gujarat DGP P P Pandey in the case.

Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old college girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, her friend Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh, Amzad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Ahmedabad police on the outskirts of the city in June 2004.

The police had then claimed that they were terrorists affiliated to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The first charge sheet filed by the CBI named seven Gujarat policemen -- Amin, Tarun Barot, P P Pandey, Vanzara, J G Parmar, K M Vaghela, and G L Singhal -- for carrying out a fake encounter.&nbsp

Former Gujarat police officer N K Amin, an accused in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, on Saturday told a CBI court in Ahmedabad that there was a 'conspiracy' to prove that the encounter was fake

Former Gujarat police officer N K Amin, an accused in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, on Saturday told a CBI court in Ahmedabad that there was a "conspiracy" to prove that the encounter was fake. Arguing in person over his discharge application before special CBI judge J K Pandya, Amin said the FIR against him was "fabricated, biased and based on false facts". Amin, accused in the charge sheet of firing five rounds from his gun at Ishrat Jahan and three others on June 14, 2004, claimed that IPS officer Satish Verma, a former investigator in the case, was also behind the conspiracy. Verma was part of the conspiracy hatched at the behest of "the political party then in power" as he (Verma) allowed I K Chauhan, a former accused in the case, to turn a prosecution witness and depose against Amin despite knowing that he was stating blatant lies, Amin said. Chauhan was a police inspector with the Ahmedabad crime branch at the time of the alleged fake encounter. Amin and retired IPS officer D G Vanzara, both on bail, in this case, have filed applications for discharge. The CBI has opposed their pleas, saying it has sufficient evidence against them. The court recently discharged former Gujarat DGP P P Pandey in the case. Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old college girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, her friend Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh, Amzad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Ahmedabad police on the outskirts of the city in June 2004. The police had then claimed that they were terrorists affiliated to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. The first charge sheet filed by the CBI named seven Gujarat policemen -- Amin, Tarun Barot, P P Pandey, Vanzara, J G Parmar, K M Vaghela, and G L Singhal -- for carrying out a fake encounter.

'Conspiracy' to prove Ishrat encounter was fake: Ex-cop Amin

A furious Iran slammed Georgian lifter Lasha Talakhadze&#39;s Olympic gold medal as a &quot;conspiracy&quot; on Tuesday, with riot police called to the Rio Games weightlifting venue as tensions boiled over. 
 
Iranian super heavyweight and favourite Behdad Salimikordasiabi sensationally crashed out of the men`s +105kg class after judges ruled he had failed to register a total in the clean and jerk.&nbsp; 
 
Defending champion Salimikordasiabi, known as &quot;Salimi&quot;, and his coach angrily remonstrated with officials for several minutes in the arena before the contest was finished as boisterous Iranian fans booed incessantly. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a conspiracy. Our enemies were on the jury,&quot; an irate Iranian coach Sajjad Anoushiravani told reporters, appearing to be referring to a judge from Iraq. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s obvious they took the medal from Salimi. The jury was selected for this to happen. 
 
&quot;He is a gold medallist from London. He broke the world record here. They may as well throw the whole thing in the trash,&quot; seethed Anoushiravani. 
 
Salimi, sometimes referred to as the &quot;Iranian Hercules&quot;, set a new world record of 216kg in the snatch to lead Talakhadze by 1kg going into the clean and jerk. 
 
Judges ruled that the 26-year-old super heavyweight&#39;s first jerk was a no lift. The jury then dramatically over-ruled the judges&#39; decision that his second lift had been legitimate. 
 
Salimi thought he had successfully raised 245kg above his head but the panel of referees on the jury ruled that his left arm had not been straight.&nbsp; 
 
He failed again on his third attempt and he and Anoushiravani left the podium gesticulating wildly at the judges. 
 
With the competition still going on the pair then re-entered the arena to remonstrate with them.&nbsp; 
 
Salimi wagged his finger and shouted at jury members while the coach was even seen arguing with International Weightlifting Federation President Tamas Ajan. 
 
Angry Iranian fans then booed every lift thereafter, including those of Talakhadze and Irakli Turmanidze, also of Georgia, who eventually claimed bronze. 
 
&quot;Why should they take this from us so easily?&quot; 26-stone (170kg) Salimi blubbed to reporters.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a malfunction in the system, people saw what happened,&quot; he sobbed.Talakhadze held his nerve as pandemonium went on around him to haul a combined total of 473kg -- a world record -- to beat silver medallist Gor Minasyan of Armenia by a massive 22kg. 
 
&quot;There was anger in the hall. But it had nothing to do with me. I just did what I was supposed to do,&quot; said Talakhadze, who has previously served a two-year ban for doping. 
 
&quot;The Iranian was an Olympic champion. But he made mistakes and he failed with his attempts. All my career I&#39;ve been trying to become Olympic champion and now I am. 
 
&quot;The crowd were booing when I was competing. They were wailing. Maybe this gave me more power and strength to become the champion,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Armenian silver medallist Gor Minasyan condemned the behaviour of the Iranian fans, who stayed on to boo and jeer after the competition had finished, sparking the riot police into action. 
 
&quot;It was bad sporting behaviour from the spectators,&quot; said Minasyan, who has also previously served a two-year band for testing positive for illegal substances. 
 
Around a dozen heavily-armed riot police entered the arena as tensions threatened to escalate but calmness was restored.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It was just for a precautionary measure and they weren`t used,&quot; the venue`s media manager said. 
 
Sam Coffa, chairman of the IWF&#39;s technical committee, said afterwards that the Iranian team could be disciplined for their behaviour as he defended the judges&#39; decisions against Salimi. 
 
(AFP)

Iran officials protested vociferously after men's +105kg class favourite Behdad Salimikordasiabi crashed out of the event

A furious Iran slammed Georgian lifter Lasha Talakhadze's Olympic gold medal as a "conspiracy" on Tuesday, with riot police called to the Rio Games weightlifting venue as tensions boiled over. Iranian super heavyweight and favourite Behdad Salimikordasiabi sensationally crashed out of the men`s +105kg class after judges ruled he had failed to register a total in the clean and jerk. Defending champion Salimikordasiabi, known as "Salimi", and his coach angrily remonstrated with officials for several minutes in the arena before the contest was finished as boisterous Iranian fans booed incessantly. "There's a conspiracy. Our enemies were on the jury," an irate Iranian coach Sajjad Anoushiravani told reporters, appearing to be referring to a judge from Iraq. "It's obvious they took the medal from Salimi. The jury was selected for this to happen. "He is a gold medallist from London. He broke the world record here. They may as well throw the whole thing in the trash," seethed Anoushiravani. Salimi, sometimes referred to as the "Iranian Hercules", set a new world record of 216kg in the snatch to lead Talakhadze by 1kg going into the clean and jerk. Judges ruled that the 26-year-old super heavyweight's first jerk was a no lift. The jury then dramatically over-ruled the judges' decision that his second lift had been legitimate. Salimi thought he had successfully raised 245kg above his head but the panel of referees on the jury ruled that his left arm had not been straight. He failed again on his third attempt and he and Anoushiravani left the podium gesticulating wildly at the judges. With the competition still going on the pair then re-entered the arena to remonstrate with them. Salimi wagged his finger and shouted at jury members while the coach was even seen arguing with International Weightlifting Federation President Tamas Ajan. Angry Iranian fans then booed every lift thereafter, including those of Talakhadze and Irakli Turmanidze, also of Georgia, who eventually claimed bronze. "Why should they take this from us so easily?" 26-stone (170kg) Salimi blubbed to reporters. "There's a malfunction in the system, people saw what happened," he sobbed.Talakhadze held his nerve as pandemonium went on around him to haul a combined total of 473kg -- a world record -- to beat silver medallist Gor Minasyan of Armenia by a massive 22kg. "There was anger in the hall. But it had nothing to do with me. I just did what I was supposed to do," said Talakhadze, who has previously served a two-year ban for doping. "The Iranian was an Olympic champion. But he made mistakes and he failed with his attempts. All my career I've been trying to become Olympic champion and now I am. "The crowd were booing when I was competing. They were wailing. Maybe this gave me more power and strength to become the champion," he added. Armenian silver medallist Gor Minasyan condemned the behaviour of the Iranian fans, who stayed on to boo and jeer after the competition had finished, sparking the riot police into action. "It was bad sporting behaviour from the spectators," said Minasyan, who has also previously served a two-year band for testing positive for illegal substances. Around a dozen heavily-armed riot police entered the arena as tensions threatened to escalate but calmness was restored. "It was just for a precautionary measure and they weren`t used," the venue`s media manager said. Sam Coffa, chairman of the IWF's technical committee, said afterwards that the Iranian team could be disciplined for their behaviour as he defended the judges' decisions against Salimi. (AFP)

Conspiracy claims mar weightlifting event at Rio, riot police called in

The trial of five people accused of leaking or publishing confidential documents depicting a Vatican plagued by corruption and mismanagement goes to a panel of judges for verdicts today. 
 
The four non-clerical judges will retire after each defendant is allowed to make a final statement. Verdicts in the &quot;Vatileaks II&quot; trial, which started in November, are expected for this afternoon. 
 
They will end a sometimes bizarre trial whose main protagonists were public relations expert Francesca Chaouqui, who is Italian, and Spanish priest Angel Lucio Vallejo Balda. 
 
Once colleagues in a now-defunct papal reform commission investigating Vatican finances, their past relationship was at best ambiguous, and they spent most of the trial hurling insults and accusations at each other. 
 
He claimed she was an ambitious and manipulative social climber who put him under a powerful seductive spell and turned against him when she did not get a permanent position in the Vatican. 
 
She sent him text messages with insulting, unpublishable references to his alleged homosexuality. He said she led him to believe she was a spy who could reveal secrets about his personal life if she did not get a prominent Vatican job. 
 
&quot;Arrogant and insufferable&quot; 
 
Even Chaouqui&#39;s lawyer Laura Sgro, in closing arguments on Tuesday, used words including loud-mouthed, insufferable, arrogant and presumptuous to describe her client but said that this did not mean she was guilty. 
 
Chaouqui, Vallejo and his assistant Nicola Maio are accused of forming a criminal association and conspiracy to divulge private documents. Vallejo is the only non-Italian. 
 
The Vatican made it a crime to disclose official documents in 2013 after a separate leaks scandal, which the media dubbed Vatileaks and which preceded the unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. 
 
The two journalists among the five defendants - Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi - are accused of putting pressure on the other three to get the documents, which published in two books last year. 
 
Vallejo, citing his confused state of mind, has admitted giving Nuzzi access to password-protected documents of the now-defunct Vatican advisory commission. The other four defendants have denied wrongdoing. 
 
Prosecutors on Monday requested a sentence of three years and nine months for Chaouqui, three years and one month for Vallejo, and one year and nine months for Maio. 
 
They asked for a one-year suspended sentence for Nuzzi and for charges to be dropped against Fittipaldi for lack of sufficient evidence.&nbsp; 
 
The defence asked for full acquittal for all five.&nbsp;All the defendants face sentences of up to eight years in jail but are unlikely to serve any time if convicted, particularly if the judges agree to requests of the prosecution. 
 
Chaouqui gave birth three weeks ago and the judges - all Italian citizens - are expected to take that into consideration. 
 
The Vatican, the world&#39;s smallest state, has a two-cell jail. In line with bilateral agreements, those convicted in the Vatican can serve jail terms in Italy. 
 
But most convictions of three years or less for minor crimes in Italy are effectively suspended because of overcrowding in Italian prisons. 
 
(Reuters)

Five people face jail time for sharing confidential documents about Vatican corruption

The trial of five people accused of leaking or publishing confidential documents depicting a Vatican plagued by corruption and mismanagement goes to a panel of judges for verdicts today. The four non-clerical judges will retire after each defendant is allowed to make a final statement. Verdicts in the "Vatileaks II" trial, which started in November, are expected for this afternoon. They will end a sometimes bizarre trial whose main protagonists were public relations expert Francesca Chaouqui, who is Italian, and Spanish priest Angel Lucio Vallejo Balda. Once colleagues in a now-defunct papal reform commission investigating Vatican finances, their past relationship was at best ambiguous, and they spent most of the trial hurling insults and accusations at each other. He claimed she was an ambitious and manipulative social climber who put him under a powerful seductive spell and turned against him when she did not get a permanent position in the Vatican. She sent him text messages with insulting, unpublishable references to his alleged homosexuality. He said she led him to believe she was a spy who could reveal secrets about his personal life if she did not get a prominent Vatican job. "Arrogant and insufferable" Even Chaouqui's lawyer Laura Sgro, in closing arguments on Tuesday, used words including loud-mouthed, insufferable, arrogant and presumptuous to describe her client but said that this did not mean she was guilty. Chaouqui, Vallejo and his assistant Nicola Maio are accused of forming a criminal association and conspiracy to divulge private documents. Vallejo is the only non-Italian. The Vatican made it a crime to disclose official documents in 2013 after a separate leaks scandal, which the media dubbed Vatileaks and which preceded the unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. The two journalists among the five defendants - Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi - are accused of putting pressure on the other three to get the documents, which published in two books last year. Vallejo, citing his confused state of mind, has admitted giving Nuzzi access to password-protected documents of the now-defunct Vatican advisory commission. The other four defendants have denied wrongdoing. Prosecutors on Monday requested a sentence of three years and nine months for Chaouqui, three years and one month for Vallejo, and one year and nine months for Maio. They asked for a one-year suspended sentence for Nuzzi and for charges to be dropped against Fittipaldi for lack of sufficient evidence. The defence asked for full acquittal for all five. All the defendants face sentences of up to eight years in jail but are unlikely to serve any time if convicted, particularly if the judges agree to requests of the prosecution. Chaouqui gave birth three weeks ago and the judges - all Italian citizens - are expected to take that into consideration. The Vatican, the world's smallest state, has a two-cell jail. In line with bilateral agreements, those convicted in the Vatican can serve jail terms in Italy. But most convictions of three years or less for minor crimes in Italy are effectively suspended because of overcrowding in Italian prisons. (Reuters)

'Vatileaks II' trial to end today after nearly eight months

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