Woman Uses Funds From Darul Aman Mosque In Eunos For Personal Expenses
People who work in places of worship are often held in high regard due to the supposed nobility of their jobs.
But they’re still humans after all, and are prone to err, like 36-year-old Marlina Abdul Rahman, who recently confessed to stealing money from a mosque in Eunos.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the court charged her for her crimes today (8 Jan), putting an end to her 2-year embezzlement streak.
Stole funds while working at Eunos mosque
A corporate service officer at Darul Aman Mosque in Eunos, Marlina had special access to the mosque’s funds.
Her responsibility in overseeing various transactions gave her the perfect advantage to commit the crime.
CNA noted the amounts of money Marlina had stolen over 3 periods between 2017 and 2019:
- Mar-Nov 2017: $15,000
- Jan-Nov 2018: $12,770
- Jan-Jul 2019: $10,195
The mosque’s corporate and estate manager finally noticed something amiss in Aug 2019, after finding a $4,800 shortage in funds collected over Hari Raya Haji.
Since all transactions go into the mosque’s accounting system, the manager checked there, only to find 219 manual receipts instead.
Image for illustration purposes only
Source
Records for 155 of them were absent from the system, while 9 of the remaining 64 registered notably smaller amounts.
Manual receipts are only for instances when the accounting system is down.
Started shortly after she began working there
CNA reported that the spree began in late Jan 2017, just a few months after Marlina first began working at Darul Aman.
In total, she pocketed $37,877.50 from the mosque, which she spent on personal and familial expenses. As of now, she has only paid back $4,800 of the total amount.
Image for illustration purposes only
Source
Without a lawyer to represent her, Marlina pleaded guilty to her offences in court, in between tears as she explained how she had recently found out she was pregnant.
For her crimes, the judge sentenced her to nine months in jail.
Safekeeping valuable property is a huge responsibility, which Marlina failed to fulfill. Let’s hope that she learns her lesson and turns over a new leaf.
Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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