May 24, 2010
Jailed 54 months for forgery
<!-- by line --> By Elena Chong, Court Correspondent
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A FORMER accounts officer who forged his boss's signature on blank cheques and got away with about $506,000 was jailed 54 months on Monday. Wanto, 29, a Singapore permanent resident, was working for Siang Malam when he committed 71 forgery offences for his soccer bets and losses from betting. The court heard that he was employed by Madam Lie Tjhui Lie, 50, to manage the accounts and bookkeeping for her three companies - Pagi Sore Holdings, Pagi Sore Indonesian Restaurant and Siang Malam. Sometime in April 2008, he was in financial difficulties as he had lost money from betting on soccer matches.
He was also unhappy with the way Madam Lie treated him and her other employees. As a result, he came up with a plan to take a few blank cheques each time she passed him the company's cheque book book. He would then issue cheques in favour of himself and forge her signature on the cheques for various sums of money. Police managed to recover $18,000. Wanto, who is married with a child, could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined on each of the 20 charges proceeded. The remaining 51 charges were taken into consideration.
