SINGAPORE: After finding a credit card on a road, an officer with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) took urgent half-day leave and used the credit card to top up his EZ-Link card and buy a gold ring.
Seah Guo Rong, 36, was sentenced on Thursday (Oct 20) to eight months’ jail. He pleaded guilty to two counts of cheating, with another three charges taken into consideration.
The court heard that Seah was earning S$5,000 in monthly salary as an MOM officer at the time.
While walking home on Mar 16 this year, Seah came across a credit card along the side of the road in Hougang. He picked up the card and took it home.
Seah sent a message to his supervisor at MOM to request for an urgent half-day leave for the afternoon.
He then took the credit card to Hougang MRT Station, where he used the card to make a top-up of S$20 to his EZ-Link card.
He then took a train to Chinatown, where he went to a jewellery shop at People’s Park Complex and told the staff he was looking for a pure gold ring. After trying on a few, he bought one for S$6,330 with the credit card.
When presented the receipt to sign on, Seah made up a signature on the spot.
He also tried to buy another gold item for about S$12,000 but the transaction was rejected by the system, so he left and disposed of the credit card and the receipt for the ring.
After this, he sold the ring for S$4,550 at Maxi-cash and deposited the money into his bank account. He traded his EZ-Link card for a new one and threw away the receipt for his sale of the ring.
With the sale proceeds, Seah bought groceries, paid bills and bought TOTO tickets.
The victim lodged a police report later that month to say his credit card was missing and that there was an unauthorised transaction of more than S$6,300 with his card.
The prosecutor asked for eight to 10 months’ jail, saying the offence was committed out of greed, given that Seah had a monthly salary of S$5,000.
The offences were planned, with Seah even taking half-day leave to carry them out, he said.
Seah had also taken steps to avoid detection by disposing of the credit card, said the prosecutor.
SUCCUMBED TO TEMPTATION: DEFENCE
Defence lawyer Chia Boon Teck said his client had no previous convictions and was awarded a National Service excellence award for his contributions this year.
He gave the background of the offences, saying that Seah had committed the offence “after years of being weighed down by mounting financial demands” that were made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He “succumbed to the temptation” of using the credit card owing to a “temporary lapse of judgment”, said Mr Chia.
He said Seah was unemployed from August 2018 and March 2021, depleting his savings to cope with increasing expenses especially after his son was born in December 2018.
He said he bore the weight of the family’s financial burdens, with the money from the sale of the gold ring going towards his domestic expenses.
Part of the proceeds were used to buy TOTO tickets “out of desperation for a miracle to make ends meet”, said Mr Chia.
He said his client was “saddened” that the prosecution said the offence was out of greed and that he was in no need of money.
“He was in dire straits,” said Mr Chia. “The fact that he bought TOTO tickets is evidence of desperation. Nobody commits a crime to buy TOTO tickets.”
He said his client cooperated with police, made full restitution and pleaded guilty at the first instance.
The offence was committed in March, Seah was arrested in May, said Mr Chia.
“Everything is all over for him, including his life,” he said. He said this incident has “totally disrupted” Seah’s life, who tried but failed to get a private-hire driver licence in preparation for the impending career change after the case came to light.
In response, the prosecutor maintained that the offences were committed out of greed.
“Notwithstanding his financial difficulties previously, at the time he committed the offences, he was earning a salary of S$5,000, which is not an insubstantial sum,” he said.
The judge said he could not ignore the fact that attempts were made to dispose of the evidence.
CNA has contacted MOM for more information.