Nabjeet Singh (48) a former Investigator with New Zealand’s Ministry of Social Development has been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison, for fraudulently stealing nearly $360,000 over a period of 12 years.

He was sentenced on Friday in the Wellington District Court on 51 charges related to the offending. Last month, he pleaded guilty after he was extradited back to New Zealand from Australia where he moved after resigning from his job in August 2011. 

Nabjeet who was responsible for investigating welfare cheats, himself created four fake beneficiary identities, including a identity of a fictitious child to receive benefit payments from the Ministry. In the process, he created fake addresses, dates of birth, false children names and schools, income tax numbers, bank accounts and mobile numbers.

In relation to the offending, the Police have successfully recovered $263,956 from sale of his forfeited house and some Bonus Bonds. In a statement released to this journalist, Ruth Bound, Chief Executive, Service Delivery of the Ministry of Social Development said, "It is particularly disappointing for us that someone entrusted with this responsibility has been convicted of committing serious fraud of this nature”.

Ruth, however, reassured that “since this offending occurred we have put in place a range of additional measures that mean someone in (Nabjeet) Singh’s position would not be able to commit these offences, in this way today”.