MANILA (1st UPDATE) - A Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) branch manager being linked to an $81 million money laundering transaction has been offloaded from a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight bound for Tokyo on Friday.

As of posting, the PAL flight carrying RCBC Jupiter branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito already left without her and her family.

A DZMM report said Sen. Teofisto Guingona III asked the Department of Justice to stop Deguito from leaving the country ahead of a scheduled Senate investigation of the scam on Tuesday.

Deguito, who is allegedly involved in an $81-million money laundering case, initially refused an invitation by immigration officials.

ABS-CBN News caught a video of Deguito and her family at the departure lounge of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport about two hours ago.

Deguito said they just want to spend the birthday of their child in Tokyo and that she would be back next week to attend the Senate hearing on the alleged funneling of stolen money from Bangladesh Bank to the Philippines.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The money laundering case stems from the theft of $81 million from the Bangladesh Bank, allegedly stolen by Chinese hackers through payment transfer credentials, last February 4. The funds were transferred to five RCBC accounts at the RCBC Jupiter branch after being cleared by US-based correspondent banks.

READ: RCBC probes $81-M 'laundered' through Makati branch

A Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) report said the funds were then transferred to foreign exchange broker Philrem, which converted the money into pesos. The money was then transferred back to RCBC and consolidated into one bank account.

The Court of Appeals has ordered RCBC, East West Bank, Banco de Oro, and Philippine National Bank to freeze for the next six months the bank accounts and all related accounts of Michael Francisco Cruz, Jessie Christopher Lagrosas, Alfred Santos Vergara, Enrico Teodoro Vasquez, William So Go, and Kam Sin Wong (Kim Wong) in relation to the case.

Deguito has been suspended from RCBC, pending an investigation into the case. Her lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, earlier said his client received specific instructions from RCBC president and CEO Lorenzo Tan to allow the transfer of $81 million into five accounts in her branch.

This was refuted by Tan. "How can a branch manager work with a bank president who does not know her on branch level matters? As president of RCBC, I do not engage myself in the opening of accounts, knowing the client and his source of income among other things as required by government rules, and crediting and debiting funds. The branch manager oversees these things. I did not refer anyone to her for the opening of accounts even," he told PDI.

Businessman William Go, through his lawyer, also threatened to file charges against the bank manager, saying he had nothing to do with the scam.

Go's lawyer Ramon Esguerra said the signature of his client was forged to open the US dollar bank account that allegedly consolidated the other accounts for eventual conversion into pesos. He alleged that Deguito asked his client for help in closing the account in exchange for P10 million. - With a report by Raoul Esperas, ANC and DZMM

READ: William Go pins down RCBC branch manager