Maid gets 3 years 2 months’ jail for stealing more than S$217K from employer to buy condos, cars, and land in Philippines

SINGAPORE: A domestic helper who stole more than S$217,000 in cash and jewellery from her employer over four years has been sentenced to three years and two months’ jail.

Raguindin Alma Bassig, 47, a Philippine national, was admitted to two counts of theft by a servant. Three similar charges were also considered during sentencing. None of the stolen money or jewellery has been recovered.

The stolen proceeds were used to buy condominium units, vehicles and farmland in the Philippines, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported (July 17).

The employer’s trust in her helper, built over the years, was repeatedly broken

Raguindin began working for the family in March 2016 and had unrestricted access throughout the home after nearly a decade of employment.

She discovered that her employer kept a safe inside an unlocked wardrobe and later found its key hidden in a coat pocket. After seeing that it contained cash in several currencies and valuable jewellery, she began stealing from it whenever no one was home.

Between January and December 2022, she took cash in euros, pounds and yen, together with luxury jewellery, gold, jade and silver items worth about S$77,851.

She brought the stolen items back to the Philippines during home leave, converted the cash into Philippine pesos, and either sold, pawned or kept the jewellery before using the proceeds to buy assets.

She stole again in June 2024, taking another S$84,469 worth of cash, diamonds, gold jewellery and jade. Among the stolen items was a princess-cut diamond jewellery set valued at S$18,000. The proceeds were again used to buy property, vehicles and farmland.

A hidden camera exposed the thefts

The thefts weren’t discovered immediately. In November 2025, the employer noticed some cash was missing but believed she had misplaced it.

Months later, suspecting something was wrong, she installed a motion-sensor camera in her bedroom on May 27, 2026.

Two days later, the camera captured Raguindin opening the safe and removing items. The employer filed a police report that same evening, and the helper was arrested shortly after midnight the next day.

District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan described the amount stolen as staggering and said the sentence needed to discourage similar offences. He found that the helper had seriously abused the trust placed in her and noted that recovering the stolen property is highly uncertain.

The victim, her employer, spoke of betrayal and sentimental loss

The employer addressed the court before sentencing and spoke about the deep sense of betrayal she felt after employing Raguindin for almost 10 years.

She explained that she had allowed the helper to return to the Philippines every year at her (the employer’s) expense because of the helper’s young children. She also rejected any suggestion that financial hardship drove the thefts, saying the money had instead gone towards luxury purchases.

Beyond the financial loss, she said several stolen pieces of jewellery had sentimental value because they had been inherited from her late mother-in-law. She also appealed for help in recovering the accused’s assets in the Philippines.

During the hearing, Raguindin accepted full responsibility and asked that her family not be blamed. She also pleaded for leniency so she could return home to care for her elderly mother.

The prosecution said it would consider seeking a separate confiscation order to help recover assets for the victim. However, the court explained it couldn’t order compensation because the offender had no apparent means to repay the losses. The victim was told she could still pursue civil action.

The offence of theft by a servant carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ jail, a fine, or both.

Trust is difficult to earn and easy to lose. This case shows that while stolen money may sometimes be replaced, the personal betrayal and sentimental loss suffered by victims can last much longer.