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SINGAPORE: The chief priest of Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple, the Sri Mariamman Temple, was charged in court on Tuesday (February 16) with criminal breach of trust of ceremonial jewelry with a pawn value of more than S $ 2 millions.
Kandasamy Senapathi, 37, received five counts of breach of trust as an employee and five counts under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Profit Forfeiture) Act.
Kandasamy is accused of taking gold ceremonial ornaments from the temple and repeatedly pawning them in stores between 2016 and 2020, rolling the cash.
The pawn value of the jewels amounted to more than S $ 2 million, the prosecutor told the court.
Kandasamy, an Indian citizen, allegedly transferred more than S $ 141,000 in criminal proceeds out of the country.
Kandasamy’s supposed modus operandi was to take the jewels, pawn them and exchange them when he had the money to return the items to the temple, the court heard.
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck last year, he was unable to raise funds to redeem the items in time for some ceremonies, his attorney said.
Since then, Kandasamy has redeemed the pawned items and returned all the jewelry to the temple.
Police said in August last year that they were investigating Kandasamy after the gold ornaments in their custody disappeared.
The Sri Mariamman Temple, located on South Bridge Road, said in a statement at the time that the gold prayer ornaments were kept in the custody of the high priest in the inner sanctuary of the temple.
Periodic audits are conducted to ensure that gold ornaments are physically accounted for, the temple said.
Kandasamy’s lawyer asked for a lower bond, saying that his client, who is currently in a room in the temple, is a foreigner and cannot collect a high bond. He said Kandasamy had “talked to some people” who were willing to rescue him for $ 80,000.
The prosecutor objected, saying that the defendant poses a flight risk as he has no community or family ties in Singapore and faces a maximum of 15 years in prison for breach of trust.
The judge set the bail at S $ 100,000, saying it was an appropriate amount for “very serious crimes” allegedly committed while in a position of trust.
Kandasamy will return to court next month. If convicted of criminal breach of trust while working as a servant, you can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined. For removing the proceeds of crime from Singapore’s jurisdiction, he could be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to S $ 500,000, or both.
