One day's jail, $25k fine for issuing cheques from Clients' A/C
POSTED: 06 Jun 2013 5:48 PM
Singapore Subordinate Courts (Photo: Anthony Chia, channelnewsasia.com)
SINGAPORE: A former manager at a law firm was sentenced to a day's jail and fined $25,000 for making out cheques to his wife from the firm's Clients' Account.
Jeremiah Aloysius Thomas, 44, admitted to six charges committed between 2005 and 2010.
Of these, five related to how he issued cheques amounting to $29,000 from the Clients' Account of his then employer, Surian & Partners, to his wife Goh Hwee Nah.
Under the law, it is an offence to use the money from the Clients' Account, even if it is to pay him for bonuses owed to him by the firm.
Thomas also admitted to providing false information to a Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) officer in June 2010.
10 other similar charges, mostly to do with payment from the firm's Clients' Account, were taken into consideration for sentencing purposes.
In mitigation, the defence lawyer pointed out that Thomas should have transferred money owed to him from the Office Account instead.
The lawyer, Wee Pan Lee, said the offences were committed because the accused claimed his bonuses by presenting the cheques for payment, before a transfer was made to the Office Account.
Mr Wee pointed out that the firm did not suffer any loss as this was money that was owed to Thomas.
He added that Thomas has made full restitution.
- CNA/ir
