Singapore temple assistant misappropriates over $28K in funds to dine out

Tham Lai Ying, an administrative assistant at the Toa Payoh Seu Teck Sean Tong temple, pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal breach of trust as an employee last Thursday, Singaporean news website Today reported.

From March 5 to May 26, 2022, she misappropriated a total of S$38,799 from the funds she collected on behalf of the temple.

This amount included S$37,799 in public donations meant for the temple’s charitable activities and S$1,000 in fees collected from temple members.

According to court documents, Tham committed wrongdoing out of "greed upon seeing the large sums of cash collected."

She had used the money on her personal and household expenses, including buying groceries and dining at restaurants daily.

Tham began working at the temple in February 2022 with a monthly salary of S$1,600. Her responsibilities included collecting public donations and membership fees for the temple. She started misappropriating funds just one month into her job.

In late May 2022, the temple’s finance executive discovered that Tham had failed to submit some receipt books used to record donations and fees from March to May of that year.

The temple’s secretary-general was notified and an internal audit was conducted the following month. When confronted by the secretary-general, Tham admitted to her misdeeds and was suspended.

The temple filed a police report in June 2022 and Tham was arrested this February following police investigations.

"Initially, (Tham) also intended to cover up her misdeeds by replacing the misappropriated amount later on without others’ knowledge," The Straits Times quoted Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Li Ting as saying. "However, as the misappropriated amount grew, she could not afford to and did not do so."

Tham agreed to repay the stolen money through instalments, but has not done so to date.

She could face fines and up to 15 years in prison for criminal breach of trust as an employee.