<p>The former chief priest of Singapore's oldest Hindu temple has been charged with repeatedly pawning gold religious ornaments for a total of $1.5 million, court officials said Wednesday.</p>.<p>Kandasamy Senapathi would redeem the pawned ornaments when he had raised enough money and return them to the temple, according to local media -- but his ruse was uncovered when he could not get enough cash to buy the gold back after the coronavirus pandemic hit.</p>.<p>The 37-year-old Indian national worked at the Sri Mariamman Temple, a 194-year-old, ornately decorated place of worship in downtown Singapore that is popular with devotees and tourists alike.</p>.<p>He is accused of having pawned the gold items five times between 2016 and 2020 when he was still chief priest.</p>.<p>Temple authorities discovered the items were missing during an audit and he was arrested, and later stripped of his role as chief priest.</p>.<p>Kandasamy later managed to redeem the gold items and returned them to the temple.</p>.<p>The total pawn value of the items, which were frequently used in prayers, was more than Sg$2.0 million (US$1.5 million), according to court documents seen by AFP.</p>.<p>The ornaments were supposed to be kept in the custody of the chief priest in the temple's inner sanctum.</p>.<p>Kandasamy was also charged with five counts of corruption for remitting back to India more than Sg$141,000 in criminal proceeds from his scheme.</p>.<p>He has been charged under laws against "criminal breach of trust" for pawning the items, and for each count faces up to 15 years.</p>.<p>He faces a jail term of up to 10 years on each corruption charge.</p>.<p>Singapore, whose population is mostly ethnic Chinese, is home to a sizeable Hindu minority.</p>.<p>Sri Mariamman was built in 1827 by immigrants from southern India and is dedicated to Goddess Mariamman, who is known for her purported power in curing epidemic illnesses and diseases.</p>
<p>The former chief priest of Singapore's oldest Hindu temple has been charged with repeatedly pawning gold religious ornaments for a total of $1.5 million, court officials said Wednesday.</p>.<p>Kandasamy Senapathi would redeem the pawned ornaments when he had raised enough money and return them to the temple, according to local media -- but his ruse was uncovered when he could not get enough cash to buy the gold back after the coronavirus pandemic hit.</p>.<p>The 37-year-old Indian national worked at the Sri Mariamman Temple, a 194-year-old, ornately decorated place of worship in downtown Singapore that is popular with devotees and tourists alike.</p>.<p>He is accused of having pawned the gold items five times between 2016 and 2020 when he was still chief priest.</p>.<p>Temple authorities discovered the items were missing during an audit and he was arrested, and later stripped of his role as chief priest.</p>.<p>Kandasamy later managed to redeem the gold items and returned them to the temple.</p>.<p>The total pawn value of the items, which were frequently used in prayers, was more than Sg$2.0 million (US$1.5 million), according to court documents seen by AFP.</p>.<p>The ornaments were supposed to be kept in the custody of the chief priest in the temple's inner sanctum.</p>.<p>Kandasamy was also charged with five counts of corruption for remitting back to India more than Sg$141,000 in criminal proceeds from his scheme.</p>.<p>He has been charged under laws against "criminal breach of trust" for pawning the items, and for each count faces up to 15 years.</p>.<p>He faces a jail term of up to 10 years on each corruption charge.</p>.<p>Singapore, whose population is mostly ethnic Chinese, is home to a sizeable Hindu minority.</p>.<p>Sri Mariamman was built in 1827 by immigrants from southern India and is dedicated to Goddess Mariamman, who is known for her purported power in curing epidemic illnesses and diseases.</p>