Ex-sales manager jailed for misappropriating company fund

A former sales manager at a pork distributor was sentenced to 33 months in jail on Thursday (Apr 14), after pleading guilty to misappropriating S$284,157 from the company in just two months.

Ng Cheye Yong, 33, pocketed the sum handed to him by 13 of the company’s clients between December 2015 and January this year. Instead of depositing the sum into the company’s bank account, Ng used it to pay off his debts from failed business ventures.

Ng, a Malaysian, attempted to conceal his actions by disguising new payments as old payments he had previously misappropriated. He also drafted four bank deposit slips for approximately S$30,000 to S$50,000 each and submitted these to the company, promising he would deposit the money later.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Sng urged the court to impose a jail term of 30 to 33 months on Ng, who said he was “deeply remorseful” for his actions. He surrendered himself on Feb 16 and has been in remand since. His family offered to bail him out, Ng said, but he refused as he “wanted to atone”.

In sentencing Ng, District Judge Bala Reddy noted “little restitution” had been made. Ng has returned just S$10,100 to date, claiming the rest of the money was lost in failed investments for a hair salon and another pork-related business.

For misappropriating the monies from his employer, Ng could have been jailed up to 15 years and fined.