A 55-year-old former university employee, Foo Siang Chi, was sentenced to 46 weeks in jail on 8 Apr 2025 after pleading guilty to cheating his reporting officer out of S$205,500 (US$152,000) and committing voyeurism offenses.
Financial Deception and Gambling Addiction
Foo was employed by the National University of Singapore (NUS) as an associate director of Office of Facilities Management (OFM) in May 2013 with a monthly salary of S$8,000.
He was later promoted to senior associate director in 2015 with an increased pay of S$9,000, eventually rising to deputy director before his termination in August 2018.
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Prior to joining NUS, Foo was a director of renovation business Barang Barang Interiors and a part-time property agent.
Although NUS instructed him that he could not carry out these businesses while employed by the university, Foo claimed he needed time to settle outstanding accounts before winding up his renovation business.
What Foo didn’t disclose to NUS was his S$600,000 debt.
In desperation, he turned to gambling at the Marina Bay Sands casino while simultaneously borrowing from moneylenders who eventually showed up at his office to harass him for repayment.
Between April and July 2015, Foo deceived his 58-year-old reporting officer, a deputy director at OFM, into believing he needed money to settle outstanding debts from his renovation business.
The victim, who was aware of Foo’s financial situation related to Barang Barang Interiors but unaware of his gambling addiction, felt sorry for him and began lending him money.
Over a four-month period in 2015, the victim issued cheques to Foo on five occasions and obtained a personal loan from OCBC on one occasion, totaling S$205,500.
Foo then used this money to gamble or to repay urgent debts so he could use money from other sources to continue gambling.
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Even after July 2015, Foo continued obtaining substantial loans from the victim, who by then had exhausted his personal assets and resorted to taking personal credit lines from various banks to continue lending to Foo.
Foo has since repaid the full S$205,500 to the victim.
Voyeurism Offenses Uncovered During Investigation
After his termination from NUS, Foo found employment with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) as a director of Office Campus Infrastructure and Facilities in February 2019.
During investigations, authorities discovered upskirt images and videos on Foo’s phone.
He admitted to recording at least 30 upskirt videos or photos between April 2018 and March 2020 of “women whose legs he found attractive.”
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These recordings were taken on public transport, in shopping malls, and within both NUS and SUTD campuses.
SUTD stated that Foo voluntarily resigned and left the institution on 31 Jan 2022.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Alexandria Shamini Joseph sought between 16 and 19.5 months’ jail, noting that the amount Foo cheated was significant and that the offense “was sustained and betrayed a degree of premeditation.”
Foo’s lawyers from Withers KhattarWong—Shashi Nathan, Jeremy Pereira and U. Sudharshanraj Naidu—requested a seven to nine-month jail term.
They explained that their client, who is married with an 18-year-old daughter, now works on an ad-hoc basis earning between S$2,000 and S$3,000 monthly.
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The defense team stated that Foo took over Barang Barang Interiors and its existing liabilities of about S$400,000 in 2009.
When the firm’s business deteriorated in 2012, and NUS told him in 2014 to give up his directorship within a year or risk termination, Foo turned to borrowing and gambling in desperation.
Foo’s bail was set at S$25,000 and he is expected to begin serving his sentence on 15 Apr 2025.
For cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined.
For voyeurism, an offender can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.
However, Foo cannot be caned as he is over 50 years old.
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