SINGAPORE – Saddled with credit card debts, a management support officer at a secondary school went on to misappropriate more than $14,000 in total from it between 2017 and 2023.
Mary Lim Siew Lian, 49, who was working at Catholic High School at the time of the offences, then used the ill-gotten gains to settle her personal expenses.
On Nov 17, she pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal breach of trust involving more than $9,000.
Three other similar charges relating to the remaining amount will be considered during her sentencing.
The Singaporean has made full restitution and The Straits Times has reached out to the Ministry of Education to find out more about her current employment status with it.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Ang told the court that as a management support officer, Lim was entrusted with funds from the School Management Committee (SMC), collected through fund-raising events and merchandise sales.
Part of her responsibilities included collecting payments made to the SMC, depositing the money into a bank account linked to it, and keeping a record of the deposited amounts.
At the time of the offences, she was the sole officer entrusted by the school to collect payments for its annual yearbook publications.
Such payments were collected in cash from the students of each class by their form teachers.
