The principal admitted that he had up-sized his coffee without paying three times before at the same store, and four times at another store. PHOTO: PEXELS
Despite paying only for a regular-sized coffee, a principal at a junior high school in Japan helped himself to a large cup at a convenience store self-service machine.
He was caught in Takasago, a city about a seven-hour drive from Tokyo, after a worker saw him pressing the button for a large cup on Dec 21. He was dismissed from his job and had his teaching licence revoked, reported Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun on Feb 16.
He did not receive his retirement pay either, believed to be about 20 million yen (S$180,000).
At an interview with prefectural board officials, the principal, 59, said he had acted on impulse and was “truly sorry” for his misconduct, the report said.
A regular-sized coffee at the store costs 110 yen and the larger option costs 180 yen. He admitted that he had up-sized his coffee without paying three times before at the same store, and four times at another store. In total, he underpaid an amount of 490 yen.
Prosecutors decided not to indict him after receiving files on the suspected theft from the police, but acknowledged that he committed theft.
Critics have questioned the board’s decision on his punishment, which was announced on Jan 30, calling it a “death sentence” for an offence which caused little monetary loss.
Dismissal is the most severe measure used to discipline a public servant, followed by suspension from work, a pay cut and a reprimand.
A board official told Asahi Shimbun that they “concluded that dismissal is appropriate for a repeated offence” after reviewing previous cases and their disciplinary actions.
Japan Women’s University professor Takashi Sakata said the punishment is “disproportionately severe” as the losses he caused were small.
The loss of his teaching licence and retirement pay have a significantly larger impact than the losses the principal was responsible for, said Prof Sakata, who added that the board should have handled the matter cautiously.
In a similar incident in another prefecture, a municipal employee was dismissed after dispensing a cup of coffee worth 200 yen at a convenience store after paying for a coffee worth 100 yen.
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