A public servant was sentenced 64 months in jail just yesterday for stealing over $340,000 in public funds that were directed to help families with financial burdens, Channel NewsAsia reports.
The perpetrator, Chia Kwang Hwee, had been using the money to pay off his family’s debts since November 2011, before splurging the rest after, seemingly hell bent on a lavish lifestyle.
Chia, 33, had been misusing the funds for his own ends for three years since then until August 2014, during his term with the South East Community Development Council and Social Service Office @ Geylang Serai.
As a social worker, he took cheques issued by the SSO (to distribute to low-income families) and “cashed in” into his own bank account. Between 2012 and 2013, he had amassed approximately 314 cheques. Safe to say the seam of his pockets must be threatening to burst with all the money he’s stuffed in.
But he didn’t stop there — by December 2013, when the Ministry had adopted a newer practice by disbursing the money directly into the bank accounts of the needy via an online system, so did Chia.
Already promoted to team leader and being one of the few with access to the system used to approve transactions for the above practice, Chia then proceeded to redirect more funds into his own bank account with said system, sometimes through multiple accounts to throw him off the scent.
Perhaps this routine was meant to carry on longer, but the cat was eventually let out of the bag when an internal investigation was conducted due to a family failing to receive their deposits. The Ministry quickly notified the police upon uncovering some suspicious transactions.
Chia has yet to make any restitution, but judging from how this case has turned out, it’s rather unlikely he’ll be able to do so for years to come.
