Victims’ lawyer insists “she couldn’t have done it on her own”
The shocking story of a bank employee who swindled over a million euros – and then decided to ‘end it all’, taking her teenage children with her, is perhaps not exactly what it seems. It could be even worse.
In a new exposé, due to be televised this evening, Correio da Manhã explores the theory that Raquel Godinho (who died when she drove her car over a cliff last year) “acted with the help of one or more colleagues with important roles at Millennium BCP in Ericeira”.
These colleagues would have been the ones that “authorised her to make large withdrawals, and hide the fraud, for two years.
“The motivations may have to do with illegal immigration networks”, says the paper.
This story has always had an odd ring to it: a 45-year-old divorcee who apparently wheedled her way into clients’ good books to the extent that she could rip them off to the tune of hundreds of thousands each… in order to purchase high quality furnishings which she kept in a warehouse.
The first question is ‘why’? Thus, CM’s new theory pads out the background, and give much more substance to the alleged actions of Ms Godinho, who presumably was only ‘rewarded’ for her dishonesty (by way of money to buy said high-quality furnishings). The bulk of the money stolen must have gone elsewhere…
Pedro Proença, the lawyer acting for victims of Ms Godinho’s schemes, tells the paper: “The huge sums of money that Raquel withdrew over the more than two years would only have been possible with internal authorisation. She could not have done (the withdrawals) alone: she had to have a password that would have been generated by computer and passed to her by someone with powers within the bank in Ericeira, or outside it”.
Today’s story also explains that some of Raquel’s alleged victims were people whose accounts were managed by other employees at the bank. Some of these still remain at their posts, others have been transferred.
The total amount being claimed by five clients exceeds a million euros, says the paper (which has previously described losses of up to €3 million).
Another ‘loose end’ not previously mentioned in the reports about this extraordinary situation is that “every day tens of accounts were opened at the bank in the names of Brazilians who never came to Portugal.
“The whole scheme could be a front for networks of illegal immigration”, it adds.
Bizarrely, CM claims that the bank itself “continues not to give explanations.
“BCP continues not to give explanations about the millionaire embezzlement revealed by CM almost a year ago.
“Faced with the bank’s inertia, the victims have taken the legal route. A process has been opened at Mafra DIAP (department of investigation and penal action), but up until this moment, none of the victims have been heard by public prosecutors”.
CM reminds its readers that the bank “decided to reimburse clients who could prove they had been swindled”, but a number could not prove categorically that signatures they claim were forged were in fact not theirs.
Since this fraud came to light – prompted by Raquel Godinho’s ‘suicide’ which also took the life of her mother, and only by a miracle spared those of her two children – the bank manager has been replaced, and a former sub-manager demoted.
“BCP has exercised various changes, but has not given explanations to clients”, says the paper.
The investigation “Accomplices of millions” will be aired this evening on CM’s television channel CMTV at 9.30pm.
natasha.donn@portugalresident.com
