THE Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor has indicted three women who allegedly forged the signature of their French-Canadian employer and withdrew money from their company’s bank account amounting to P213,000 in 2013.
Prosecutor Wilfredo Pangandoyon, Jr. found evidence to charge Bethany Melienche Ramos, Ana Loreta Andrada and Janice Padillo with estafa through falsification of public document before the Regional Trial Court.
“All told, there is probable cause for one count of estafa through falsification of public document against respondents, who appear to have acted in conspiracy with each other,” the resolution read.
The case stemmed from the complaint filed by David Chetrit, a French-Canadian head of web development outsourcing firm Panssam, Inc., who accused the respondents of conspiring to falsify a secretary’s certificate to cause the withdrawal of the company’s funds.
The respondents withdrew seven checks when Andrada encashed the checks that bore her allegedly forged signature on the checks on various dates in 2013.
The respondents failed to submit their counter-affidavit, prompting the prosecutor to resolve the complaint based on the evidence submitted by the complainant.
In the resolution, Prosecutor Pangandoyon held that Ramos executed a falsified secretary’s certificate stating that the firm’s Board of Directors resolved to designate any of the respondents as the signatory of the check.
This allowed Andara to withdraw the company’s fund by issuing checks bearing her own signature.