Man stole more than 750 printer cartridges worth over $93k from Casino Regulatory Authority, gets jailed

SINGAPORE — A Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) senior executive misappropriated more than 750 printer cartridges worth over $93,000 from the agency and sold them online.

Zulkiflie Yacob, 45, who in no longer working there, was sentenced to two years and a month's jail after he pleaded guilty on Monday (April 3) to two counts of criminal breach of trust involving 621 cartridges worth nearly $80,000.

A third charge involving the remaining 132 cartridges worth more than $13,000 was considered during sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Niranjan Ranjakunalan said that CRA was a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is now known as the Gambling Regulatory Authority.

As a CRA employee, Zulkiflie's job scope included procuring office supplies and purchasing printer cartridges.

To commit his offences, he deliberately over-ordered cartridges between April 1, 2016 and Oct 30, 2018.

The DPP said: "The accused did so with the intention of dishonestly misappropriating and selling some of these printer cartridges, and pocketing the sales proceeds."

Zulkiflie justified these purchases of printer cartridges in the quarterly approval-of-purchase put up by him on the basis that they were in accordance with factors such as the utilisation of printer cartridges in previous quarters.

After that, he sold them on online market marketplace Carousell.

CRA lodged a police report after discovering discrepancies between the number of cartridges purchased and the number of those used, as well as how many such items were left in stock.

Zulkiflie was arrested on March 12, 2020, and was released on bail soon after.

"During the course of investigations, the accused revealed that he declared financial embarrassment in 2015 and therefore used the monies received from the sale of the dishonestly misappropriated printer cartridges to pay his bills and expenses," said the prosecutor.

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On Jan 15, 2023, Zulkiflie made partial restitution of $25,000 to the Gambling Regulatory Authority.

Defence lawyer Azri Imran Tan from IRB Law said that his client has completely handed over all benefits he received from the offences.

Pleading for a sentence of not more than 16 months' jail, Mr Tan added: "Zul wishes to explain that the restitution amount made is based on the amount of money he earned from selling the misappropriated toners and cartridges."

Mr Tan said that, according to his client, the toners and cartridges were sold at a markdown from their original purchase prices, at around $50 to $100 individually. 

Zulkiflie's bail was set at $15,000 on Monday, and he is expected to surrender himself at the State Courts on April 28 to begin his jail term.

For each count of criminal breach of trust, an offender can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.