{
  "id": 8204194,
  "title": "7 weeks’ jail for ex-executive director of madrasah who misappropriated over $68k of its money",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/7-weeks-jail-for-ex-executive-director-of-madrasah-who",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T08:19:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/7-weeks-jail-for-ex-executive-director-of-madrasah-who-misappropriated-over-68k-of-its-money"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A former executive director of a madrasah in Singapore was sentenced to seven weeks in jail on September 18 for misappropriating over $68,000 of the school's funds and misusing a computer system. Razak Mohamed Lazim pleaded guilty to one count of misappropriating the money and one charge of misusing the computer system, which was linked to the Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah. Three other charges, including two counts of cheating, were considered during his sentencing, but Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryan Wong applied for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for these charges. District Judge Kamala Ponnampalam granted the application, allowing Razak to still be prosecuted for the offences if new evidence emerges. Razak was also the chairman of the madrasah's management committee at the time of the alleged offences. The misappropriation occurred between February 2020 and February 2022, when Razak used funds meant for royalty payments to the madrasah. The misappropriated amount was eventually paid back in full. Razak has since filed an appeal and his bail has been set at $30,000.",
  "summary": "Razak Mohamed Lazim had pleaded guilty to one count each of misappropriating the money and misusing a computer system.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former executive director Razak Mohamed Lazim sentenced to 7 weeks in jail",
    "Misappropriated over $68,000 of Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah funds",
    "Misused computer system linked to the madrasah between Feb 2020 and Feb 2022"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}