Jail for ex-insurance agent after misappropriating $20k from long-time client and got scammed
Jail for ex-insurance agent after misappropriating $20k from long-time client and got scammed
SINGAPORE - An insurance agent with AIA Singapore abused the trust of her long-time client, who was also her friend, when she misappropriated $20,000 of the latter's money.
Zaibun Nesa Haji Adam, 65, later lost more than $13,000 of that amount to a scam.
On April 25, she was sentenced to eight months and two weeks' jail after she pleaded guilty to one count of criminal breach of trust.
Now unemployed and no longer working with the insurance firm, Zaibun had made a voluntary restitution of $1,000 to the 68-year-old female victim who had been her client for more than 10 years.
AIA reimbursed the remaining $19,000 to the victim out of goodwill. Zaibun had not made any restitution to the firm, the court heard.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ryan Lim told the court that in late June 2021, the victim contacted Zaibun as she wanted to buy an insurance plan for her old age and retirement.
The victim had previously bought several insurance policies from AIA through Zaibun, said the prosecutor.
When the two women met the next month, Zaibun proposed that the victim invest between $12,000 and $20,000 in a policy.
The victim opted to invest $20,000 and was deceived into directly transferring the money to Zaibun's bank account.
Zaibun had claimed that the AIA centre was closed and the funds would have to be transferred by proxy through her, DPP Lim said.
She misappropriated the money soon after, using nearly $13,600 of her ill-gotten gains to pay a 'release fee' for a purported overseas investment, in which she was promised US$6.2 million (S$8.1 million) in profits.
This 'overseas investment' later turned out to be a scam, and Zaibun lost this portion of the money that the victim had entrusted to her.
The DPP said that it was unclear what Zaibun did with the rest of her ill-gotten gains.
The victim's application for the investment policy eventually lapsed as the $20,000 was not paid to AIA.
Zaibun's offence came to light when the victim made a complaint to the firm over the lapsing of her policy, and an insurance investigator alerted the police in August 2022.
On April 25, DPP Lim asked the court to sentence Zaibun to between eight and nine months' jail, stressing that she had not made an adequate restitution.
He added: 'The victim had previously purchased policies through the accused for both her and her family and considered (Zaibun) a trusted friend.
'Indeed, intimate human relationships such as friendships are based, first and foremost, on trust. An abuse of one's position of trust and friendship should be taken seriously.'
Lawyers Tang Shangwei and Warren Tian from WongPartnership, who represented Zaibun pro bono, pleaded for their client to be given five months' jail.
They stated in court documents she had been struggling with various medical conditions including diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome between June and August 2021.
The court heard that she is also the sole caregiver of her husband, who has various health issues including colon cancer.
According to the lawyers, foreign scammers had duped their client into putting money in an investment scam in early 2020.
They added: ' (Zaibun's) state of mind was far from motivated by greed or financial gains.
'This is given that (she) was in despair from the health issues she and her husband were battling with, the financial struggles she was facing to support her family, and the pressure she was facing from the foreign scammers.'
Zaibun's bail was set at $15,000 on April 25 and she is expected to surrender herself at the State Courts on June 25 to begin serving her sentence.
Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times' court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
8 hours ago
- Business Times
Ong Beng Seng to plead guilty on Jul 3, in case involving former minister Iswaran
[SINGAPORE] Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng is expected to plead guilty to two charges on Jul 3, in a case involving former transport minister S Iswaran. This was announced after a pre-trial conference on Tuesday (Jun 10). Ong, managing director of Hotel Properties Ltd (HPL), is widely known as the man who brought the Formula 1 night race to Singapore in 2008, and owns the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. He faces one charge of abetting offences under Section 165 of the Penal Code – which deals with public servants accepting gifts – and one charge of abetting the obstruction of justice. The first charge, for abetting an offence under Section 165, relates to flights and a hotel stay. Ong allegedly offered Iswaran a trip to Doha in December 2022, and arranged for his private jet to fly him there. The flight was worth US$7,700. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Tuesday, 12 pm Property Insights Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond. Sign Up Sign Up Ong also allegedly made arrangements through race promoter Singapore GP for a one-night stay at Four Seasons Hotel Doha, valued at S$4,737.63, and is said to have offered Iswaran a business-class flight from Doha to Singapore worth S$5,700. The second charge was for allegedly instructing Singapore GP director Mok Chee Liang, in May 2023, to bill Iswaran for the business-class ticket from Doha to Singapore – an action that would have obstructed the course of justice. Those found guilty of offences under Section 165 can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both. Abetting an offence would result in the same punishment if the offence is committed as a consequence of the abetment. The maximum penalty for obstructing the course of justice is jail time of up to seven years, a fine, or both. Ong previously left Singapore in May to visit England, the United States and Italy between April 28 and May 16 for both medical and work-related purposes.

Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng to plead guilty on July 3 in case involving former transport minister
The 79-year-old was previously scheduled to plead guilty on April 2. PHOTO: ST FILE Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng to plead guilty on July 3 in case involving former transport minister SINGAPORE - Billionaire Ong Beng Seng, who is facing two charges in a case linked to former transport minister S. Iswaran, will be pleading guilty on July 3. The date was set after his pre-trial conference on June 10. The 79-year-old was previously scheduled to plead guilty on April 2, but the case was adjourned after his lawyers asked for more time to obtain his medical reports. The property tycoon was charged on Oct 4, 2024, with abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and with abetting the obstruction of justice. Under Section 165, it is an offence for a public servant to accept anything of value from any person with whom he is involved in an official capacity without payment or with inadequate payment. According to court documents, the businessman had in December 2022 allegedly arranged for Iswaran fo fly on Ong's private plane from Singapore to Doha. The flight was valued at US$7,700 (S$10,400). Ong is also said to have arranged for Iswaran a one-night stay at Four Seasons Hotel Doha, valued at $4,737.63, and a business class flight from Doha to Singapore, valued at $5,700. Courts documents showed that it was allegedly Ong who alerted Iswaran that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau had seized the flight manifest for the December 2022 trip. It prompted Iswaran to ask the tycoon to bill him for the flight to avoid investigations. For this alleged offence, Ong was charged with the abetment of obstruction of justice. The businessman is known as the man who brought Formula One (F1) to Singapore in 2008 – the first night race in the sport's history. Iswaran was chairman of the F1 steering committee and the Government's chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters related to the race. The two men had worked in the mid-2000s to convince then Formula One Group chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to make Singapore the venue for the sport's first night race. On Oct 3, 2024, Iswaran was handed a 12-month jail term after he pleaded guilty to five charges, including obtaining valuable items as a public servant from Ong and Mr David Lum Kok Seng, managing director of construction company Lum Chang Holdings. Iswaran was placed on the Home Detention Scheme on Feb 7, 2025. On June 6, the Singapore Prison Service said he completed his emplacement on the Home Detention Scheme and that he is no longer under prison custody. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.


AsiaOne
14 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex testifies he kicked, dragged her in attack last year, Entertainment News
NEW YORK — An ex-girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs testified on Monday (June 9) that he kicked, punched and dragged her last June, about a month after the hip-hop mogul apologised for a video that surfaced of Combs attacking another girlfriend eight years earlier. The alleged attack on the woman, testifying under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy, occurred three months before Combs was indicted on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Jane said that after the attack in the backyard of her Los Angeles home on June 18, 2024, Combs contacted a male entertainer named Anton, gave her an ecstasy pill, and told her to perform oral sex on Anton while Combs watched — even though she had told him she did not want to. Jane said Combs told her, "You're not going to ruin my f***ing night," and then got close to her face and said, "Is this coercion?" Jane's testimony could bolster prosecutors' contention that Combs, 55, for two decades coerced women to take part in the sexual performances, sometimes known as Freak Offs, against their will. Lawyers for Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, have acknowledged he was occasionally abusive in domestic relationships, but say the women who took part in Freak Offs did so consensually. On May 19, 2024, Combs apologised on social media after CNN broadcast a hotel surveillance video from 2016 in which Combs appeared to attack the rhythm and blues singer Casandra Ventura, another ex-girlfriend. The video was shown in court. In November 2023, Ventura sued Combs for allegedly forcing her to take part in Freak Offs over the course of a decade-long relationship that started around 2008. Combs denied wrongdoing, and he settled with her two days later for US$20 million (S$26 million). Jane said she told Combs several times that she did not want to have sex with other men anymore. Jurors saw an Oct 20, 2023, text message in which she told him, "I felt violated and manipulated by you." But the encounters continued after that, as did Combs' financial support for Jane, according to her testimony. Jane said the June 2024 altercation occurred after she confronted him about his relationship with another woman. Jane said she shoved Combs' head into a kitchen counter and threw candles and glass at him. He eventually attacked her in the backyard while she was lying on the ground curled into a ball, she said. Combs' defence lawyers are due to begin cross-examining Jane on Tuesday. Testimony is in its fifth week. Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. [[nid:718866]]