Zakat: Mosque officer jailed for embezzling $13,000 in donations

By Abdullahi Yusuf

A zakat officer at Al-Istiqamah Mosque in Serangoon North Avenue 2, Singapore, pocketed alms from six victims totalling more than $13,000 and kept the money for his personal use.

On Aug 13, Muhammad Hafiz Mohd Yusof, 28, who has made no restitution, was sentenced to eight months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal breach of trust involving nearly $10,000.

Three other charges linked to the remaining amount were considered during sentencing.

For Muslims, zakat is a form of alms-giving and one of the pillars of Islam.

Zakat is a religious obligation for all abled and privileged Muslims to redistribute and share their wealth and blessings with the underprivileged in the community… (It) is a socio-religious tool to help eradicate poverty in a community or society.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua said zakat could be collected through various means, including over-the-counter cash payments.

For cash collections, Hafiz had to issue a computer-generated receipt and keep the money in a box.

Should there be any errors, he had to retrieve the issued receipt from the payor, void it and update the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) system.

He would then issue another receipt with the correct details. This receipt would bear a new number.

Some time before Aug 8, 2023, Muis detected irregularities in six receipts which Hafiz voided.

The police were alerted on Aug 8, 2023, and he was charged in court in 2024.

Hafiz’s bail was set at $10,000 on Aug 13 and he was ordered to surrender at the State Courts on Sept 10 to begin serving his sentence.

For each count of criminal breach of trust, an offender can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined.

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