SINGAPORE: For more than six years, a National University of Singapore ( NUS) professor submitted 37 false expense claims, deceiving the university into “reimbursing” him nearly S$ 88,400 ( US$ 64,880 ).
After pleading guilty to 11 forgery and one cheating charge, Tan Kok Kiong, 56, was sentenced to 24 weeks in jail on Monday ( April 22 ). For his punishment, another 25 costs of a related nature were taken into account.
At the time of writing, the Singaporean was an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He was subsequently elevated to the position of Professor on January 1, 2018. He taught kids and conducted study in power, clever devices and robotics.
When submitting their says online , NUS team people are supposed to upload supporting papers as proof of order.
Between November 2012 and April 2019, Tan submitted 37 false expense reports, deceiving NUS into reimbursing him S$ 88,399. 40.
He used program like Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat to edit invoices or to change the written text. He furthermore relied on false records to support his claims for reimbursement.
Some of the payments were used to:
- A thermo joystick
- Digital transmission techniques
- A 65-inch Samsung LED tv for an autonomous driving task
- a vacuum cleaner to wash his or her place of employment
- A power for a specific mobility device
- Lead board squares
- A 49-inch Phillips track
- An metal oxide remain
- Transfer of heavy tools
While some invoices were fictitious, others he altered to reflect higher prices or different descriptions to support expense reports. For example, he was issued an invoice for S$455 for the Lead board squares. He then added a “0” to change the price to S$4,550.
In another instance, he purchased a vacuum cleaner for S$ 120 to clean his office. Tan then modified the cash sale agreement by including a” 0″ in the amount to make it appear to be S$ 1,200.
For a personal project Tan ran on September 14, 2017, he purchased thin panel boards to test a 30 patient-centered older treatment monitoring system. He was issued an invoice for S$ 2,400.
The next day, He fabricated a claim in an expense report that the money was used for a cervical location identification project. The state was approved.
Tan has since returned all of his money to NUS.
According to court records, Tan suffered from depression between January 2017 and October 2017, exhibiting symptoms for as low mood, anxiety, low motivation and power and interrupted sleep.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor David Menon, the accused ruminated unreasonably about wanting to fight against his home for what they perceived as a lack of respect for him at the time.
He unreasonably believed that if he was accused of a crime, they do love him more. “
In a statement, a consultant physician with the Institute of Mental Health stated that Tan’s melancholy impaired his skill to “fully understand the nature of his acts”, as he “believed that an action of’retaliation’ may render him feel’vindicated’,” said Mr Menon, citing the record.
Tan’s despair was cited as a contributing factor in the commission of his crimes between January 2017 and October 2017, according to the psychiatrist.
Mr Menon argued for 24 to 26 days ‘ prison, taking into account Tan’s emotional state and full compensation against the worsening elements. The attorney made the point that Tan had repeatedly abused a public institution.
Tan’s attorneys argued that prisons would harm their client’s health.
One of the doctors, Mr Preshin Manmindar, told the judge that court proceedings have worsened Tan’s problem” significantly”, with Tan usually isolating himself to his room for weeks at a time, able to speak to his wife or family.
Tan’s contributions to science and medicine were also cited by some as a contributing factor.
For forgery, Tan could have been jailed for up to four years, or fined, or both.
For cheating, he could have been jailed for up three years, or fined, or both.