An imam was sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment on December 14, 2024, after pleading guilty to criminal breach of trust by misappropriating donations on two separate occasions.
Haji Muhammad Zainul Hasramin bin Haji Md Hassan, 47, who is also the treasurer of the Kampong Masin Mosque Takmir Committee, was not warranted a non-custodial sentence by Magistrate Nur Eleana binti Dato Seri Paduka Haji Hairol Arni.
Prosecutor Jordan Tiah revealed that the defendant, who was entrusted with counting donation money after Friday prayers, pocketed some of the cash on two occasions – February 12 and February 19 in 2021.
On both days, fellow committee members witnessed the offences and reported them to the mosque affairs officer, who later confirmed the incidents through CCTV footage.
During an incident, a committee member saw the defendant slip cash into his pocket during counting. A week later, the defendant accidentally dropped cash from his pocket while retrieving his phone, exposing the act again.
He was investigated by police and admitted to taking the money, but the amount could not be ascertained and none was recovered.
The court initially imposed four months’ jail for each offence, reduced from six months for the early guilty plea. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively to reflect the severity of the offences.
While noting a delay of more than two years between the police report and the defendant’s statement, and another year before prosecution, the court allowed a one-month reduction for the inordinate delay, resulting in the final seven-month sentence.
The magistrate said the offence was far from trivial, considering the defendant’s position as imam and treasurer, and that he committed the offences in full view of fellow committee members. – FADLEY FAISAL
