SINGAPORE: A former National University of Singapore (NUS) employee who cheated his reporting officer out of S$205,500 (US$152,000) was jailed for 46 weeks on Tuesday (Apr 8).
Foo Siang Chi, 55, deceived the victim, a 58-year-old deputy director of Office of Facilities Management (OFM) at NUS into believing that he needed money to settle outstanding debts from a renovation business.
In fact, Foo was deep in the straits also because of gambling.
Apart from pleading guilty to cheating, Foo also pleaded guilty to charges of insulting the modesty of women and voyeurism, after obscene videos and photos were found in his phone while he was being investigated. Two charges related to these offences were considered for his sentencing.
Foo was employed by NUS as an associate director of OFM in May 2013 with a salary of S$8,000. He was promoted to senior associate director in 2015, with an increased pay of S$9,000.
He eventually rose to the rank of deputy director when he was terminated in August 2018. NUS previously told CNA that Foo was fired following internal investigations into the cheating offences.
Before his employment with NUS, Foo was a director of renovation business Barang Barang Interiors. He was also a part-time property agent.
NUS told him that he could not carry out his business or act as a property agent while employed by the university, but Foo claimed he needed time to settle outstanding accounts before winding up Barang Barang Interiors.
At that point Foo was S$600,000 in debt, but did not disclose this to NUS. He then turned to gambling at the Marina Bay Sands casino.
While working at NUS, Foo became friends with the victim. As the victim was Foo's reporting officer, he was aware of Foo's financial situation due to Barang Barang Interiors, but was kept in the dark about the gambling.
By then, moneylenders that Foo had borrowed from were showing up at his office to harass him for repayment.
Feeling sorry for Foo, the victim began lending him money over four months in 2015. He issued cheques to Foo on five occasions and obtained a personal loan from OCBC on one. By July 2015, the victim had lent S$205,500 to Foo.
Foo then used the money to gamble, or to repay urgent debts so that he could use money from other sources to gamble. He accrued heavy debts at the casino.
In the meantime, he continued borrowing money from unlicensed moneylenders to gamble at the casino.
Even after July 2015, Foo continued to obtain substantial loans from the victim, who by then had run out of personal assets to lend him funds.
The victim then took personal credit lines from various banks to lend money to Foo.
He came to learn of Foo's deception subsequently. Foo has since repaid S$205,500 to the victim.
After his termination, Foo found employment with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) as a director of Office Campus Infrastructure and Facilities in February 2019.
During investigations, the authorities found upskirt images and videos in his phone.
Foo admitted that he would record the obscene material when he encountered women whose legs he found attractive. The videos or photos were taken on public transport, in malls, and within NUS and SUTD campuses.
He recorded at least 30 upskirt videos or photos between April 2018 and March 2020. SUTD previously said that Foo voluntarily tendered his resignation and left on Jan 31, 2022.
The prosecution sought between 16 and 19.5 months’ jail, saying that the amount Foo cheated was significant.
"The offence was sustained and betrayed a degree of premeditation as the acts referred to in the amalgamated charge were committed over six occasions over a period of four months," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Alexandria Shamini Joseph.
She noted that restitution was made nine years after the offence was committed, which the prosecution had considered in its proposed sentence.
Foo's lawyers Shashi Nathan, Jeremy Pereira and U Sudharshanraj Naidu from Withers KhattarWong sought seven to nine months' jail for their client.
They said that their client, who is married with a 18-year-old daughter, now works on an ad-hoc basis earning between S$2,000 and S$3,000 a month.
Foo took over Barang Barang Interiors and its existing liabilities, which was about S$400,000, in 2009.
In 2012, the firm's business deteriorated. In 2014, NUS told Foo to give up his directorship within a year, or risk being terminated, said the lawyers. Foo turned to borrowing and gambling in desperation, they said.
"Through a misguided belief, Mr Foo decided to gamble with some monies to speed up his debt repayments," they added.
Foo maintained that he intended to repay the victim, according to the lawyers.
In mitigation, the lawyers said that Foo was remorseful and had fully cooperated with the authorities.
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Foo Siang Chi, 55, deceived the victim, a 58-year-old deputy director of Office of Facilities Management (OFM) at NUS into believing that he needed money to settle outstanding debts from a renovation business.
In fact, Foo was deep in the straits also because of gambling.
Apart from pleading guilty to cheating, Foo also pleaded guilty to charges of insulting the modesty of women and voyeurism, after obscene videos and photos were found in his phone while he was being investigated. Two charges related to these offences were considered for his sentencing.
Foo was employed by NUS as an associate director of OFM in May 2013 with a salary of S$8,000. He was promoted to senior associate director in 2015, with an increased pay of S$9,000.
He eventually rose to the rank of deputy director when he was terminated in August 2018. NUS previously told CNA that Foo was fired following internal investigations into the cheating offences.
Before his employment with NUS, Foo was a director of renovation business Barang Barang Interiors. He was also a part-time property agent.
NUS told him that he could not carry out his business or act as a property agent while employed by the university, but Foo claimed he needed time to settle outstanding accounts before winding up Barang Barang Interiors.
At that point Foo was S$600,000 in debt, but did not disclose this to NUS. He then turned to gambling at the Marina Bay Sands casino.
While working at NUS, Foo became friends with the victim. As the victim was Foo's reporting officer, he was aware of Foo's financial situation due to Barang Barang Interiors, but was kept in the dark about the gambling.
By then, moneylenders that Foo had borrowed from were showing up at his office to harass him for repayment.
Feeling sorry for Foo, the victim began lending him money over four months in 2015. He issued cheques to Foo on five occasions and obtained a personal loan from OCBC on one. By July 2015, the victim had lent S$205,500 to Foo.
Foo then used the money to gamble, or to repay urgent debts so that he could use money from other sources to gamble. He accrued heavy debts at the casino.
In the meantime, he continued borrowing money from unlicensed moneylenders to gamble at the casino.
Even after July 2015, Foo continued to obtain substantial loans from the victim, who by then had run out of personal assets to lend him funds.
The victim then took personal credit lines from various banks to lend money to Foo.
He came to learn of Foo's deception subsequently. Foo has since repaid S$205,500 to the victim.
OFFENCES AGAINST WOMEN UNEARTHED
After his termination, Foo found employment with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) as a director of Office Campus Infrastructure and Facilities in February 2019.
During investigations, the authorities found upskirt images and videos in his phone.
Foo admitted that he would record the obscene material when he encountered women whose legs he found attractive. The videos or photos were taken on public transport, in malls, and within NUS and SUTD campuses.
He recorded at least 30 upskirt videos or photos between April 2018 and March 2020. SUTD previously said that Foo voluntarily tendered his resignation and left on Jan 31, 2022.
The prosecution sought between 16 and 19.5 months’ jail, saying that the amount Foo cheated was significant.
"The offence was sustained and betrayed a degree of premeditation as the acts referred to in the amalgamated charge were committed over six occasions over a period of four months," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Alexandria Shamini Joseph.
She noted that restitution was made nine years after the offence was committed, which the prosecution had considered in its proposed sentence.
Foo's lawyers Shashi Nathan, Jeremy Pereira and U Sudharshanraj Naidu from Withers KhattarWong sought seven to nine months' jail for their client.
They said that their client, who is married with a 18-year-old daughter, now works on an ad-hoc basis earning between S$2,000 and S$3,000 a month.
Foo took over Barang Barang Interiors and its existing liabilities, which was about S$400,000, in 2009.
In 2012, the firm's business deteriorated. In 2014, NUS told Foo to give up his directorship within a year, or risk being terminated, said the lawyers. Foo turned to borrowing and gambling in desperation, they said.
"Through a misguided belief, Mr Foo decided to gamble with some monies to speed up his debt repayments," they added.
Foo maintained that he intended to repay the victim, according to the lawyers.
In mitigation, the lawyers said that Foo was remorseful and had fully cooperated with the authorities.
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