SINGAPORE - A former warehouse manager of an information technology services company who misappropriated more than $90,000 over two months was sentenced to 20 months' jail on Monday (Nov 14).

Chan Siew Kheong, 51, was working in SIS Technologies, a major distributor of computer products, at Tai Seng Drive when he committed criminal breach of trust of $92,272 between May 16 and July 10, 2013.

He was in charge of handling payments made by customers for merchandise. He was supposed to store the money in a safe deposit box and, every two days, hand over these payments to a supervisor from the finance department of the company.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheryl Janet George told the court that on July 16, 2013, during a weekly accounts receivable meeting of the company, alleged non-payment of customers for sums owed was discussed.

In the course of the meeting, its sales representatives confirmed that the payments had in fact been made by customers.

When confronted, Chan admitted to misappropriating $92,272 between May and July that year.

The court heard that he would pocket the money made by a customer during collection of the items.

When asked about payment, he would lie and say that the customer had yet to collect the merchandise and, so, did not make payment.

To cover his wrongdoing, he would use the payment made by the next customer to pay to the finance department.

Chan used the money to gamble and pay off unlicensed moneylenders for loans he obtained to finance his gambling habit. No restitution has been made.

Chan, who deferred sentence to Nov 23, could have been jailed for up to 15 years and fined for criminal breach of trust as a servant.