A man in Singapore was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison after receiving the wrong money transfer for a staycation. The perpetrator was jailed after refusing to return SGD 9,000 or around Rp. 118 million that was mistakenly sent to his account.
Reported by Channel News Asia, Monday (29/12/2025), the man’s name was Mohamed Basheer Hanif Mohamed (27). He received money that was mistakenly transferred by Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Basheer spent the money on hotel stays and daily expenses. Basheer pleaded guilty to one count of dishonest embezzlement of funds.
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According to court documents, an NTU financial officer said the university mistakenly transferred SGD 9,087.04 to Basheer on November 10, 2023. On the same day, Basheer realized the amount in his previously empty POSB bank account.
Then Basheer withdrew the money for his personal needs. Finance and POSB officials made several attempts to contact Basheer but to no avail.
On November 21, 2023, a financial officer emailed Basheer about the erroneous transfer. Basheer replied that he was not aware of the money because he had stopped using the bank account.
He also refused to provide his mobile phone number and current address at NTU’s request and told finance officials to stop contacting him. He did not return the money.
Appearing via video link without legal representation, Basheer said he had been detained since October because he could not afford bail. He admitted that he had been living in a rented flat with his wife, and they were experiencing financial difficulties.
Basheer told the judge he was sorry and would not reoffend after being released. The judge then asked if there were any NTU representatives present and a woman appeared to come forward. Later, it was revealed that the woman was Basheer’s wife, and not a representative of the university.
Dishonest embezzlement of funds can land a person in prison for up to 2 years, fined, or both.
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