Jun 28, 2010
Jailed for stealing $50,000
<!-- by line --> By Khushwant Singh
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<!-- end left side bar --> <!-- story content : start --> A CERTIS Cisco vault assistant, who was in charge of keeping cash boxes and helped himself to $50,000, was jailed 1 1/2 years on Monday. Lim Ming Yao pleaded guilty in a district court to stealing the money and taking it to Malaysia. The court heard that the 19-year-old started work at Certis Cisco in April. As the vault assistant, the Malaysian was to assist the vault custodian in issuing and receiving these boxes containing cash for automated teller machines or holding the cash earnings of retail businesses.
On June 5, Lim cut open a box in the inner sanctum of the vault at the Certis Cisco Secure Logistics centre in Jalan Afifi and stuffed the money in his jeans pocket and later placed the money in a sling bag. After his shift ended at 7am the next day, Lim signed out taking the sling bag full of money, and crossed over to Johor after 8am. Certis Cisco reported the theft on June 9 - four days after the offence. However, within weeks, Lim was tired of life on the run and surrendered himself with $41,150 and RM900 (S$380) on him.
Asking District Judge Lee Poh Choo for a lenient sentence, Lim said that he surrendered himself because he realised his mistake. The Malaysian was jailed 1 1/2 years for stealing from his employer and jailed nine months for moving criminal proceeds amounting to $50,000 out of the country. As the sentences were ordered to run together, he will have to serve only 1 1/2 years in jail.
