SINGAPORE - A former clinic assistant who misappropriated cash payments totalling $21,903 belonging to a clinic was jailed for four months on Monday (Oct 31).
Siti Mashita Mohamed Kassim, 44, was working for EC Family Clinic at Eunos Crescent when she pilfered cash payments received for doctor's consultation and medical treatment fees amounting to $21,903 between April and July 2015.
She pleaded guilty to committing criminal breach of trust.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Eric Hu said that Siti Mashita, who had been working at the clinic since May 2008, was required at the end of every shift to calculate the cash takings, print the daily transaction records, keep the cash collected into a transparent zip lock bag and deposit the cash bag into the clinic's safe box.
On Aug 26, 2015, her employer, Dr Teoh Pui Pui, 38, told her to take out the collected cash bags from the safe box.
But upon checking, Dr Teoh and her husband, Dr Heng Kuan Yong, 43, found several cash bags with money missing. Also, the daily transaction records from the print-outs did not tally with the cash amount that had been collected and deposited into the cash bags.
Dr Heng also found that cash takings between July 1 and 11 were emplaced in the August month batch instead for the month of July 2015 takings.
Similarly, for the month of August, the money collected from Aug 12 to 21 was also missing.
He made a police report on Aug 31.
Siti Mashita admitted to the police to having misappropriated a total of $21,903 from the clinic between April and July 2015.
She admitted that at the end of each shift, she did not deposit the cash collections into the clinic's safe box but had used the money to remit to an online acquaintance she had known via social media.
Partial cash amount totalling $3,690 was recovered from her. She has since made full restitution.
Her lawyer Rajan Supramaniam said her client, a single mother, has shown genuine remorse, shame and regret for the offence. He said she has lost her job and income much needed for her family as a result of the offfence.
She could have been jailed for up to seven years and/or fined for criminal breach of trust.
