Administrative officer sentenced to 20 months' jail for misappropriating $97,000
An administration officer of a real estate management company was sentenced to 20 months' jail on Thursday (May 12) for misappropriating $97,139 belonging to a management corporation.
[video=youtube;Vg9VBHTmSiY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg9VBHTmSiY[/video]
Published May 12, 2016, 1:43 pm SGT
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent
SINGAPORE - An administration officer of a real estate management company was sentenced to 20 months' jail on Thursday (May 12) for misappropriating $97,139 belonging to a management corporation.
Rashidah Ahmad, 38, employed by A4 International, admitted to criminal breach of trust of the amount belonging to The Quintet's Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST) at Choa Chu Kang Street 64 between March 1, 2014 and Feb 28 last year.
A district court heard that Rashidah's responsibilities included attending to enquiries from the residents of the condominium, and collating the booking of facilities such as the barbecue pits and tennis courts.
She was also entrusted to collect cash or cheque payments in the form of condominium maintenance fees, sinking funds, deposits for renovation works and the use of facilities at the condominium on behalf of the company and to deposit the collections into the MCST's bank account.
Investigation showed that between March 1, 2014 and Feb 28 last year, she collected a total of $97,139 and misappropriated the amount for her own use.
Deputy Public Prosecutor V. Jesudevan said she claims to have used the money to pay off her bank loans and personal debts.
The boss of A4 made a police report on April 5 last year that Rashidah had failed to deposit cash payments made by the residents of the condominium.
The DPP, who had sought a sentence of 22 to 24 months in jail, said there was a degree of pre-meditation in this case; the amount involved was large; and there was loss caused to the residents of the condominium.
Her lawyer Zaminder Singh Gill said his client was truly remorseful for what had happened and for the disgrace she had brought on her husband and her family.
Urging the court to give her a chance, he said Rashidah, her husband and her boss had worked out an arrangement to repay the amount. She is intending to sell her matrimonial flat in about two months.
District Judge Ng Peng Hong allowed her to defer sentence until July 11 to attend to her daughter's impending surgery. She has also quit her job and her last day of service is on July 8. She could have been jailed for up to 15 years and fined for criminal breach of trust as a servant.