The 39-year-old Indian chief priest of Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple has been sentenced to six years in jail for repeatedly pawning over SGD 2 million of ceremonial jewellery from the temple, according to a media report. Kandasamy Senapathi, who worked as a priest at Sri Mariamman Temple, pleaded guilty to charges of criminal breach of trust and transferring criminal proceeds out of the country. He was caught when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the regular audit and revealed the missing jewellery.
Senapathi had been pawning the temple’s jewellery since 2016 and redeeming it before audits, ultimately causing no financial loss to the temple. He resigned from his post and expressed remorse for his actions. The Hindu Endowments Board confirmed that all the jewellery was accounted for and has implemented stricter governance and internal controls to protect its charitable assets.
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