It all started on Monday, January 22, when the brother Juan Carlos Quesada went looking for him at the Banco Nacional branch where he was manager. And it wasn’t until the next day when bank auditors confirmed that ¢378 million colones was missing from the bank vault.
A massive manhunt was on for the bank employee of 13 years and manager of the Santa Teresita, Cobano, Puntarenas branch for the last three.
On Thursday, January 25, Quesada gave himself up to authorities. The former bank manager, in his statement, admitted to taking the money, threatened by third parties whose identity has not been made. Authorities have yet to recover the money.
Today, Banco Nacional investigators say there is sufficient evidence that Quesada acted alone and with malice. Bank investigators would only reveal that the security tapes indicate that the former manager was not nervous or acting in a way a person would if under threat or being blackmailed into committing the crime.
Bank officials say that Quesada chose the money to place into the bags, leaving behind the tracking pack that would allow investigators to track the movements of the money and thus the former manager.
Confirmed is that Quesada visited Nicaragua in the days between Saturday evening, when he made off with the money, and Thursday afternoon when he gave himself up. Investigators are now looking into whom he may have contacted in his travels and the time frame and focusing on the money trail.
A theory that investigators are looking into are the possibility that part of the money was removed from the vault on Friday.
Quesada is keeping frim on his story that he was threathned and forced to steal the money and that “he is no criminal”.
Quesada’s family confirmed to the press that they are paying, out of their own pockets, legal counsel. The former manager is currently in preventive detention (jail) while the investigation continues.
