MANILA — A former executive of a Surigao City-based bank has been convicted of falsifying and fabricating loan accounts, leading to a significant prison sentence, as announced by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the BSP, the Regional Trial Court and the Municipal Trial Court in Surigao City found Arnel P. Bernales, former vice president and manager of Surigao City Evergreen Rural Bank, Inc. (SCERBI), guilty of violating the General Banking Law of 2000, the New Central Bank Act, and the Revised Penal Code.
The BSP initiated a criminal complaint against Bernales for falsifying nine loan accounts. Additionally, he was accused of submitting a false statement in a loan listing during a routine examination conducted by the BSP on SCERBI.
The courts sentenced Bernales to five years of imprisonment for each of the ten counts of making false statements, along with a minimum of six months to a maximum of two years and four months for the falsification of documents. He was also fined P2,000 for each of the nine counts of falsification.
The BSP reiterated its commitment to enforcing compliance with existing regulations, emphasizing the importance of good governance among its supervised institutions to protect public welfare and maintain a stable financial system.