A manager at car repair workshop Easy Link Auto kept cash payments from customers and took money from its cash register. His deeds came to light when a director discovered that he had not handed over some invoices and payments.

Kau Kwee Yian, 55, admitted misappropriating $13,323 between July and November last year, and was jailed for seven months yesterday.

Deputy Public Prosecutor David Koh said Kau's duties included providing quotations to customers, preparing invoices for them once their repairs were completed, and receiving cash payments.

Investigations showed that instead of submitting cash payments he had collected to the company, he would in some cases withhold the invoices and thus conceal the misappropriation. In other cases, he altered invoices to reflect a lower amount and submitted them after pocketing the difference. That amounted to $11,944. He also took $1,379 from the petty cash kept in the workshop's cash register.

When confronted after his deeds were discovered, Kau admitted having misappropriated the money. No restitution has been made.

He could have been jailed for up to 15 years and fined for criminal breach of trust as a servant.

Elena Chong