S'porean man, 27, gets 12 weeks jail for not returning S$9,000 that NTU transferred by mistake

A 27-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to 12 weeks' jail on Dec. 26 for not returning S$9,087.04 that the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) transferred to him by mistake.

Mohamed Basheer Hanif Mohamed pleaded guilty to one charge of dishonest misappropriation, CNA reported.

He used the money on daily expenses and a hotel staycation.

He did not make any restitution.

What happened

Court documents and the charge sheet showed that the money was erroneously transferred by an NTU finance officer to Basheer on Nov. 10, 2023.

Basheer saw the deposit made in his account, which had no money in it, on the same day.

He then withdrew the money to use.

The NTU finance officer and POSB tried reaching out to Basheer multiple times, but failed.

Replied to email

About 11 days after the transfer, on Nov 21, 2023, the finance officer sent Basheer an email.

Basheer responded that he had stopped using the bank account and did not know about the money.

He told the finance officer to stop contacting him and did not provide his latest mobile number and address at NTU's request.

Financially strapped

Basheer, who did not have a lawyer, said he lived in a rental flat with his wife and they were financially strapped.

He also said he could not post bail, that he was in remand since October 2025, was remorseful, and would not reoffend, according to CNA.

He could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.

Top photo via POSB