Indian-origin former civil servant acquitted of charges

An Indian-origin former senior civil servant in Singapore, who was sentenced to 10 weeks jail last year for misappropriating two iPads, has been aquitted by a court here today, citing "inconsistencies and gaps" in the evidence against him.

Jeganathan Ramasamy, 65, who was director of the technology department at the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), had maintained that the two iPads handed to him by an IT vendor in 2011 were personal purchases, for which he had yet to make payment.

He gave one to his daughter and sold the other to SCDF's then senior director of emergency services for SGD 200. Each iPad2 was worth SGD 939.

But the prosecution, which brought two charges against him for criminal breach of trust, contended that the two iPads were meant to be used for SCDF.

While acquitting Jeganathan, Judicial Commissioner See Kee Oon said there were "inconsistencies and gaps" in the evidence of both the prosecution and the defence.

He said "ample doubt" had been raised in the case against Jeganathan, making it unsafe for the conviction to stand.

The judicial commissioner noted that the two iPads did not come loaded with any apps, contrary to the prosecution's case that the devices were meant for testing purposes for SCDF.

He also noted that it did not make sense for Jeganathan to sell one iPad to a senior officer in the same organisation if he had obtained it through wrongful means.

Approached for comment after he was acquitted, Jeganathan told The Straits Times he was "thankful" that "justice prevailed".