MANILA - Senator Teofisto 'TG' Guingona vowed that the process to recover the $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh central bank will continue despite the conclusion of the Senate inquiry on Thursday.

Guingona told Bangladesh's ambassador to Manila, John Gomes, that the hearings were held for a "transparent, open, and public" process, but investigations will proceed.

He said the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) will still coordinate with Bangladesh government in efforts to recover and return the stolen funds.

Gomes made an appeal to government to return the money as quickly as possible, saying the five-month waiting period was "too long."

Julia Bacay-Abad, executive director of AMLC Secretariat, said the agency will exhaust all legal remedies to expedite the process.

“We’re requesting some understanding from the Bangladesh government for us to go through the process,” she said.

The $81 million from Bangladesh Bank's account with the US Federal Reserve in New York was shifted to accounts of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) in the Philippines, before ending up in casinos.