SINGAPORE, July 18 — A domestic helper who plundered more than S$217,000 (RM684,000) in cash and jewellery from her employer’s safe has been sentenced to three years and two months in jail.
Raguindin Alma Bassig, 47, used the stolen loot to fund a lavish lifestyle in the Philippines, purchasing condominium units, cars, and farmland. The Philippine national pleaded guilty to two counts of theft by a servant on Friday.
District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan described the total amount stolen as “staggering,” noting that the offence warranted a deterrent sentence because the accused gravely abused the trust of her employer, CNA reported.
The betrayal was deep. Bassig had worked for the family for nearly a decade and enjoyed unrestricted access to every room in the home.
The thefts began when Bassig discovered a safe hidden in an unlocked wardrobe in her employer’s bedroom. After finding the key in a coat pocket, she began a systematic raid of the safe. Between January and December 2022, she stole various currencies and high-end jewellery, including multiple Van Cleef & Arpels pieces, gold, jade, and silver, totalling S$77,851.
Whenever she returned home for leave, Bassig smuggled the cash and jewellery back to the Philippines. There, she converted the currency and sold or pawned the jewellery to build her real estate and vehicle portfolio.
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