0 Engagements
The prosecution has argued for the former head of department (HOD) of English and literature at Woodgrove Secondary School to be jailed for at least two years for misappropriating more than $40,000.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Chew told a district courtyesterday that Maslinda Zainal, now 46, had abused the trust placed in her and that her offences were “motivated by greed”.
Appointed HOD in 2006, four years after joining the school, Maslinda had kept for herself a portion of the monies students gave to their English teachers for learning materials known as Excel packages.
She was found guilty of two counts of criminal breach of trust on Jan 11.
The court heard that Maslinda had been tasked to collect the money students gave to their English teachers for learning materials known as Excel packages.
The prosecutors said that Maslinda was entrusted with cash totalling nearly $35,000 in 2016 and more than $36,000 the following year.
But Maslinda paid Madam Cheng Bee Lian, who ran the school bookshop, only about $13,000 in 2016 and $17,000 in 2017, as stated in the invoices. She then misappropriated the remaining sums, taking more than $21,000 in 2016 and almost $20,000 in 2017.
CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE
In their submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutors David Koh and Stephanie Chew said Maslinda was an educator of considerable experience .
She joined the school in 2002 and was appointed HOD four years later.