Ex-SCDF director charged with misappropriating iPads

C

Cipher

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Dec 20, 2013

• #1

Ex-SCDF director charged with misappropriating iPads

62-year-old faces maximum penalty of life imprisonment for criminal breach of trust; Former IT director obtained two iPad2s from vendor and sold one, gave the other to his daughter

PUBLISHED: 19 DECEMBER, 2:04 PM

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SINGAPORE — A former director of the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s Technology Department was charged today (Dec 19) with two counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT).

Jeganathan Ramasamy, 62, faces two counts of misappropriating two Apple iPad2 in September 2011. The iPads were valued at nearly S$940 each.

He allegedly gave one iPad to his daughter for her personal use, and was said to have sold the other to a colleague for S$200.

It’s understood that Jeganathan had obtained the two iPads from NCS Pte Ltd, which is one of the main IT vendors of SCDF. Jeganathan, a civilian officer, dealt with NCS as the director of the SCDF’s technology department.

The two iPads were said to have been delivered to Jeganathan’s office at Ubi Avenue and meant for testing of mobile applications.

If convicted, Jeganathan faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine. CHANNEL NEWSASIA

 

hokkien

Alfrescian (Inf)

Asset

• Dec 20, 2013

• #2

Gian png sial,looking at his post he should be drawing big pay yet he....haiz,malu

 

songsongjurong

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Feb 18, 2014

• #3

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/former-scdf-director-charged-misappropriating-two-ipads-20131219

how come no news ? his trial was on 16/jan.

 

S

Stryker

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Oct 22, 2016

• #4

Ex-SCDF director who was sentenced to 10 weeks' jail cleared of misappropriating 2 iPads

Jeganathan Ramasamy, former director of technology at the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), who has been accused of misappropriating two iPads, apparently wanted to buy them.

Photo: The Straits Times

Selina Lum
Friday, Oct 21, 2016

SINGAPORE - A former senior civil servant, originally sentenced to 10 weeks' jail last year after he was found guilty of misappropriating two iPads, walked out of court a free man on Thursday (Oct 20) after he was acquitted of the charges.

Mr Jeganathan Ramasamy, 65, who was director of the technology department at the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), had maintained that the two Apple tablets handed to him by IT vendor NCS in 2011 were personal purchases, for which he had yet to make payment.

He gave one to his daughter and sold the other to SCDF's then senior director of emergency services for $200. Each iPad 2 was worth $939.

But the prosecution, which brought two charges against him for criminal breach of trust, contended that the two iPads were meant to be used to test mobile apps that NCS was developing for SCDF.

In acquitting Mr Jeganathan on Thursday, Judicial Commissioner See Kee Oon said there were "inconsistencies and gaps" in the evidence of both the prosecution and the defence.

He said "ample doubt" had been raised in the case against Mr Jeganathan, making it unsafe for the conviction to stand.

The judicial commissioner noted that the two iPads did not come loaded with any apps, contrary to the prosecution's case that the devices were meant for testing purposes.

He also noted that it did not make sense for Mr Jeganathan to sell one iPad to a senior officer in the same organisation if he had obtained it through wrongful means.

The judicial commissioner pointed to text message exchanges with NCS' then group general manager, Mr Wong Soon Nam, in which Mr Jeganathan asked to pay for the devices on at least three occasions.

In a message after he received the devices, Mr Jeganathan said: "Tell me the amount I have to pay."

Mr Wong replied that the iPad 2 "is meant for all the new mobile apps that we are rolling out for SCDF and for you to trial".

Shortly after this exchange, Mr Wong phoned Mr Jeganathan.

Mr Jeganathan testified that Mr Wong told him over the phone to try out the iPads first and they could talk about the price later.

Mr Wong initially testified that he did not communicate further with Mr Jeganathan but when confronted with the call records, said he could not remember the contents of the call.

The judicial commissioner said text messages are a "fertile ground for miscommunication" and that the contents of the call can change the interpretation of the text message exchange.

Approached for comment after he was acquitted, Mr Jeganathan, who was defended by Mr Sanjiv Rajan, said he was "thankful" that "justice prevailed". He left SCDF in 2012.