Riobamba City Hall account hacked and more than $ 13 million are stole

Riobamba mayor, Juan Salazar Lopez

The municipality’s account at the Central Bank was hacked and $ 13’308 261 funds were transferred to 31 accounts of individuals and companies in the country, said the Mayor of Riobamba, Juan Salazar Lopez, last Friday.

The complaint to the prosecutor, the First Criminal Court of Chimborazo, Police and the support of managers of banks, except the Pichincha Bank branch of Riobamba, made it possible to block the accounts which were the resources where transferred, thus achieving recovery of about $ 10 million.

In Ambato, the manager of the cooperative December 15, Segundo Tomaquiza, tried to withdraw $ 897,500 from the account held at Banco Pichincha and then was captured by the police. Along with it the former militaries Juan Llasha and Jose Pombosa, were also detained for investigations, they carried two backpacks which would move the money that they would withdraw.

The mayor was surprised because the schedules of unauthorized transfers were made between 13:37, 14:02 and 00:00, on 4, 6, 8 and April 10; nonworking hours for the Municipality. The prosecutor of the City Heritage Unit of the Office, Carlos Cabrera, pointed out the alleged wrongdoing would have been committed through the Internet Payment System of the Central Bank of Ecuador.