Senior prison officer admits to stealing $406 from inmate
A senior prison officer stole $406 cash from an inmate who was being released from Selarang Park Complex (SPC) in November 2022 and took various steps to avoid getting caught.
On Feb 1, Mohamed Rahadian Mohamed Kassim, 49, was found guilty of committing criminal breach of trust and perverting the course of justice. Another charge of giving false information to a police officer will be taken into consideration for his sentencing on Feb 16.
The court heard that Rahadian was employed by the Singapore Prison Service as an offender administration officer at the time and held the rank of Chief Warder 2. His job included managing the operations of SPC and the release of inmates.
On Nov 18, 2022, Rahadian was entrusted with around 10 Ziploc bags containing cash that were to be returned to inmates being released that day.
He pocketed one bag containing $406 before calling the inmate he was stealing from into the room.
The inmate, known as Nasarudin in court documents, had $3,306 on him when he was admitted to prison but Rahadian returned him only $2,900.
When Rahadian laid the money out on a table, Nasarudin noticed that there were only $100 and $50 notes when he had also surrendered $10 and $2 notes.
The inmate did not raise the issue, however, as he assumed that the remaining notes were in another bag.
After Nasarudin was escorted to HarbourFront Centre by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers, he counted the cash and discovered the shortfall.
He informed the ICA officers, who relayed the matter to the prison service. Rahadian was also told that day that an inmate had reported a deficit in the money returned to him.
On Nov 20, 2022, Rahadian tried to cover up the theft by putting $406 in his own trouser pocket, before running the trousers through the washing machine and dryer.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Janice See told the court that Rahadian did this so that he could lie to his superiors that he had mistakenly placed the cash in his pocket.
“He wanted to show the crumpled monies to his superiors as evidence of his ‘mistake’,” added the prosecutor.
The next day, the accused slid the $406 between empty polymer bags in the area where vendors would be stationed to return inmates their belongings.
The money was found and returned to Nasarudin on Nov 22, 2022.
Closed-circuit television footage revealed that Rahadian had handled Nasarudin’s money the day the inmate was discharged.
But Rahadian denied taking the money in his statement to the police on Dec 30, 2022. He admitted to his offences only the next day.
Seeking a jail term of four to six months, DPP See said the accused had committed an offence against a victim who was in a particularly vulnerable position.
“The victim, during the period of his incarceration, had no choice but to rely on prison officers for his physical safety and the safekeeping of his personal belongings,” she said.
The DPP added that Rahadian’s offences adversely impacted the integrity of law enforcement agencies. “He had taken advantage of his position as a prison officer and committed the offences while carrying out his duties,” she said.
In his written mitigation plea, defence lawyer Gino Hardial Singh from Abbots Chambers said his client did not personally benefit from the money and the harm caused was minimal as the funds were returned.
He added that his client lost his job after 25 years with the Singapore Prison Service as a result of the case and is going through a divorce.
“Save for his offences, which stem from an inexplicable one-off lapse of judgment, Rahadian has an unblemished and stellar record of service,” Mr Singh added.
For criminal breach of trust, an offender can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined. For perverting the course of justice, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.
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