Former Maris Stella principal found guilty of embezzling $67k

Former principal of Maris Stella High School (MSHS) Anthony Tan Kim Hock, 66, was found guilty on Wednesday of misappropriating $67,679 in school funds.

Tan had been charged with embezzling the funds from MSHS’s Chapel Building Fund between 27 March and 10 September of 2009.

The verdict was handed down by district judge Soh Tze Bian, who had heard that the former school principal had misappropriated the said amount of money for expenses related to construction works at the Champagnat House, a private home for the Marist Brothers, which is a religious congregation Tan belonged to.

Tan will be sentenced on 28 June of this year after both the defense attorney and the prosecution file their sentencing submissions on 31 May.

In May 2011, Tan was charged with 21 counts of embezzling funds totaling about S$150,000 between May 2004 and September 2009, but 20 counts had been stood down as applied by the prosecution.

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