Domestic helper faces prison for stealing more than S$217,000 from employer to buy condo, cars, and land in PH over 4 years

A Filipina domestic helper in Singapore was sentenced to three years and two months in prison for stealing over S$217,000 (~P10 million) worth of cash and jewelry from her employer over the course of four years.

Channel News Asia reported that 47-year-old Raguindin Alma Bassig pleaded guilty to two counts of theft by a servant. "Another three charges of a similar nature were taken into consideration for sentencing," according to the media outlet.

As indicated in court documents, Bassig worked for her employer for almost 10 years and had unrestricted access to different parts of their home. She later found a safe inside a bedroom wardrobe and got hold of its key, letting her steal expensive jewelry—such as Van Cleef & Arpels pieces, diamonds, as well as gold, silver, and jade items—and cash in various currencies (euros, pounds, and yen). This happened multiple times from 2022 to 2026.

Per prosecutors, she brought the things she stole to the Philippines while she was on her annual leave, and converted some of them to cash by either selling or pawning them. Bassig then used the money to purchase condominium units, vehicles, and some land in her home country.

The maid was caught in May this year after her employer noticed that some of the money was missing and had a motion-sensor camera installed in her bedroom. She was then seen in footage opening the safe, which led to her arrest the next day.

None of the stolen money or jewelry has been recovered, CNA reported.

"The accused gravely abused the trust of her employer," District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan said, describing the amount that Bassig stole as “staggering.”

The employer, who addressed the court, expressed disappointment over Bassig's actions as she called herself “foolish” for trusting the helper for a long time.

"When I saw her opening my safe, my heart was broken," she recalled. "I cannot believe she was doing this to me."

Bassig owned up to the thefts as she apologized in court. Per CNA, she asked during mitigation that her family not be implicated, and that she be sent back to the Philippines so she could take care of her elderly mother.