Embezzlement 

 

Embezzlement is a form of theft.  It occurs where someone dishonestly appropriates money or other assets with which he has been entrusted.  

 

Embezzlement will often also involve the offence of fraud (in that false documents or information may be used to conceal the embezzlement).

 

 

Examples: 

 

• An official responsible for dealing with government funds, or with money provided by aid donors, steals part of the funds, and provides false documentation and accounts to suggest that the money has been properly spent.

 

• The head of a company’s pay-roll function includes false names on the payroll, and diverts the payment to these phantom employees to his own account.

 

• A site supervisor steals money from the project’s on-site cash box.

 

• An employee uses corporate funds to pay personal expenses.