A former Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) investigation officer was sentenced to 13 months' jail on Friday, November 14, after he misappropriated about S$1,400 (US$1,077) from three men after they were arrested.
Muhammad Fayyaz Helmi, 29, also falsified documents to claim that the victims received their money back in order to evade being caught for his crimes.
Fayyaz had previously entered guilty pleas to one count each of forgery with intent to defraud, obstructing justice, and criminal breach of trust as a public servant. For his sentencing, four more charges of a similar nature were considered.
In May 2024, Fayyaz left CNB. He had previously entered a guilty plea to the charges against Hasbullah Mohamed Hizan, 27, and Thanabal A. Vathian, 72.
Fayyaz was designated as one of the investigation officers for Thanabal's case after he was taken into custody by CNB officers in April 2022 on suspicion of drug offenses.
Two cell phones and S$912.66 in cash were confiscated from Thanabal upon his arrest. After that, he was placed in a halfway house after being admitted to the Drug Rehabilitation Center.
Fayyaz kept Thanabal's money for his daily expenses in November 2023.
Fayyaz gave Thanabal back his two cell phones on January 9, 2024. When Thanabal inquired about his cash, Fayyaz falsely claimed that another CNB officer handled the funds. He said he would find the money for Thanabal.
Thanabal notified the chairman of his halfway house when Fayyaz did not return, and the chairman contacted CNB to inquire about the money.
After giving Thanabal S$950, Fayyaz falsified a slip to show that on January 9, 2024, Thanabal had received S$913.20, a fictitious amount. At that point, Fayyaz was unable to recall the exact amount of money that Thanabal had been seized with.
Fayyaz was assigned the responsibility of assisting Hasbullah in returning his possessions, which included S$364.20 in cash, in January 2024.
He embezzled the money to cover his daily costs. Fayyaz falsified Hasbullah's information and signature on an acknowledgement form claiming that the money and other possessions had been returned in order to hide his identity.
After being exposed by another CNB officer, Fayyaz tried to hide his wrongdoing by sending S$400 to Hasbullah in March 2024.
He then instructed Hasbullah to fabricate a story about his possessions being given back to him on January 17, 2024.
On April 5, 2024, Fayyaz was arrested after a police report was filed against him.
A CNB representative responded to CNA's earlier questions by stating that it had investigated Fayyaz's wrongdoing in 2024 following a complaint. CNB then informed the police of the situation right away.
Later, it was discovered that Fayyaz had twice neglected to return funds and property to their rightful owners, and the police were notified of these two incidents.
"CNB has a code of conduct, strict orders and proper procedures in place, and officers have to abide by them to uphold CNB's high standard of professionalism," the spokesperson said, as quoted by CNA.
"Reporting and disciplinary processes are put in place to ensure proper conduct of officers in the workplace and when carrying out their duties. Any officer who falls short of these standards will be taken to task, and those who break the law will be dealt with, in accordance with the law."
Jonathan Wong of Tembusu Law, Fayyaz's attorney, requested a year in prison for his client. According to Wong, Fayyaz's offenses happened during a time of "progressive emotional decline" brought on by the demands of his job and his move to the exhibits team, which he saw as a setback to his career.
According to the attorney, Fayyaz developed a gambling addiction after starting to gamble regularly as a coping strategy during this time.
"He accumulated substantial financial debts of approximately S$70,000 to S$80,000, owed across banks and licensed moneylenders. The convergence of stress, debt, shame, and emotional exhaustion clouded his judgment."
"It was in this state of vulnerability and impaired coping, and not from greed or opportunism, that he made the wrongful decision to misappropriate seized cash and later conceal what he had done. He accepts fully that these acts were intentional and constituted a serious breach of trust," Wong said.
Wong informed the court that Fayyaz has since quit gambling, is getting credit counseling, and works as a delivery driver.
Cheating through forgery is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine. A fine and a maximum 20-year jail sentence are associated with criminal breach of trust as a public servant.
