Over 10 months’ jail for Singapore man who misappropriated more than S$78,000 in temple donations

Chua’s usual practice was to place the cash in red packets and label them before depositing them. He would then return the red packets with the corresponding bank receipts attached to the temple staff.

Between February and April 2024, Chua misappropriated the donations by depositing the money into his own bank account on more than 60 occasions.

His crimes came to light when another temple staff member, identified as Ang, noticed that Chua had failed to deposit the money into the temple’s bank account despite collecting the cash.

Ang reported the matter to the temple’s chairman, identified as Ting.

When questioned by Ang and Ting, Chua admitted he had deposited the money into his own bank account. He claimed that he had fallen victim to a scam.

A police report was made against Chua on Aug 7, 2024.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Chye Jer Yuan sought a sentence of between 10 and 11 months’ jail for Chua, noting that he had committed the offences out of greed. No restitution was made to the temple, added the prosecutor.

Chua asked for his sentence to be deferred for two weeks so he could attend a medical appointment and settle his personal affairs.

For criminal breach of trust, an offender can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined.

Chua will begin his sentence on April 15. – The Straits Times/ANN