Singapore jails domestic worker who stole more than US$30,000 from employer with dementia
- Albertina Kallu was entrusted with her 82-year-old employer’s banking details to make monthly salary payments of about US$535 to herself
- But instead she transferred tens of thousands of dollars, which she remitted to an account in Indonesia and spent on building a house, the court heard
Albertina Kallu, 46, was jailed on Monday for 16 months. She pleaded guilty to one count of accessing computer material with intent to commit criminal breach of trust by an employee.
The court heard that Albertina worked for an 82-year-old woman who has dementia and memory loss.
In April last year, the victim handed over the details of her DBS bank account to Albertina, who at the time was paid a monthly salary of S$720 in cash or via bank transfer.
The victim did so as her eyesight was poor, and she trusted Albertina to make her own salary transfers.
The DBS bank account, jointly owned by the victim and the victim’s niece, was meant for investment savings and daily expenses.
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Albertina had been entrusted with the account details to make outgoing salary transfers to herself.
However, between April and October last year, she made multiple unauthorised outgoing transfers exceeding her salary payments.
She first transferred S$954 in April, followed by S$470 in May and then S$780 in June.
In July, she increased the amount to S$3,780 before it ballooned to S$14,780 in August.
She then made transfers of S$11,280 and S$9,280 to herself in September and October.
In total, Albertina transferred S$41,324 to herself from her employer’s account in excess of her salary.
She remitted the entire amount to her bank account in Indonesia and spent it, including on building a house. No restitution has been made.
In October 2023, the victim’s niece discovered the crimes while reviewing bank statements linked to their account.
She filed a police report and Albertina was arrested at the victim’s home that same day.
In Singapore, the penalties for unauthorised access of computer material to commit an offence are a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to S$50,000, or both.
