A major Dominican financial institution has moved swiftly to contain fallout from a high-value internal fraud scheme, after uncovering unauthorized lending operations worth more than 200 million Dominican pesos (approximately $3.5 million). Banco BHD, one of the country’s leading banking groups, has publicly commended the Dominican Public Prosecutor’s Office and National Police for their rapid, professional response to the incident, which unfolded through a multi-stage investigation starting earlier this year.
The illicit activity was first detected during a routine internal compliance review launched by the bank in March, according to official statements from the institution. The probe quickly traced the irregular transactions to a current employee, who investigators allege engineered a scheme to create fraudulent credit lines for external third parties. In exchange for processing these unauthorized loans, the employee is accused of receiving personal financial kickbacks. Following the confirmation of wrongdoing, Banco BHD immediately dismissed the employee from their position and moved forward with formal prosecution referral. Multiple external parties that allegedly received the misappropriated funds are also currently the subject of active investigation by law enforcement.
In April 2026, Banco BHD submitted a formal criminal complaint to the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit of the National District Prosecutor’s Office, officially opening the public legal process. Consistent with regulatory requirements, bank leadership also notified the Superintendency of Banks of the Dominican Republic, the country’s top banking regulator, immediately after discovering the fraud, and has committed to full ongoing cooperation with all government authorities involved in the case.
In a public statement reassuring stakeholders and customers, Banco BHD emphasized that all financial losses stemming from the scheme have been fully absorbed by the bank’s internal reserves. Institution representatives noted that the total loss amounts to only a minimal share of the bank’s annual net earnings, and stressed that no customer deposits or held funds have been impacted by the fraud. The bank reaffirmed its longstanding zero-tolerance policy for any form of unethical or fraudulent conduct within its operations, and restated its core commitment to maintaining full transparency, strict accountability, and the highest possible standards of corporate governance for all its activities across the Dominican Republic.