KUCHING: A vault officer was sentenced to one year and eight months’ imprisonment and one stroke of the rotan by the Sessions Court here today after pleading guilty to criminal breach of trust involving RM47,300 belonging to his employer.
Judge Iris Awen Jon imposed the sentence on 44-year-old Adi Dota, ordering that the jail term take effect from the date of his conviction.
Adi admitted to a charge under Section 408 of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of between one and 14 years’ imprisonment, whipping, and a possible fine.
According to the charge, Adi, who was employed as a vault officer from a well-established security company, committed criminal breach of trust by dishonestly taking RM47,300 entrusted to him for his personal use without the company’s consent.
The offence was committed at the company’s vault room in Kuching on March 18, 2025.
According to the facts of the case, the missing RM47,300, comprising RM100 notes, was discovered during a recount conducted by the company’s Internal Security Unit (ISU) and Cash Balancing and Reconciliation (CBR) team on May 24, 2025.
An internal investigation, supported by CCTV footage and interviews with staff, identified Adi as the suspect.
Police investigations found that Adi, who had been entrusted with controlling the movement of cash in and out of the vault, admitted to taking the money from the company’s vault.
His confession and the CCTV evidence led to his arrest and subsequent prosecution.
In mitigation, Adi pleaded for a lighter sentence, telling the court that he is the sole breadwinner of his family and has three children, including a child with disabilities (OKU).
He said he had borrowed money from illegal moneylenders and resorted to taking the cash due to mounting financial pressure.
“I borrowed money from loan sharks. That is why I did it,” he told the court, adding that part of the money had been used to support his special needs child who attends the Special Education Integration Programme (PPKI).
Adi also expressed remorse for his actions and informed the court that he had no previous criminal convictions.
In seeking an appropriate sentence, Deputy Public Prosecutor, Chuah Kai Sheng, urged the court to impose a deterrent punishment, stressing that the accused had abused the trust placed in him as a vault officer responsible for safeguarding the company’s cash holdings.
He submitted that Adi had been entrusted with the custody and safekeeping of money kept in the company’s vault room but had instead dishonestly misappropriated the funds for his own use.
Chuah further argued that a stern sentence was necessary not only to punish the accused but also to serve as a deterrent to others.
He said trustworthiness, integrity and accountability are fundamental values that must be upheld by every member of society, adding that offences involving breaches of trust could erode public confidence, threaten social order, and undermine the peace and security of the community if left unchecked.
Inspector Zulfikar Anuar Sappari was the investigating officer while Adi was unrepresented.
