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A man was sentenced to three months in jail last Thursday for falsifying documents to mislead authorities into disbursing funds designed to help people affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.
Edward Goh, 44, pleaded guilty in court to two counts of forgery for the purpose of cheating.
Court documents state that Goh forged two letters in May to trick the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) into disbursing the Covid-19 Support Grant to his parents, Madam Tan Meng Lan and Goh Keng Thow.
The grant is intended to support those who have lost their jobs and employees who have been placed on involuntary leave without pay or have had their pay reduced by at least 30 percent for at least three consecutive months. Provides Singaporeans and permanent residents up to $ 800 per month for three months if they meet criteria for job loss or unpaid absence. Those who qualify based on their pay cut will receive up to $ 500 a month for three months.
Applicants must also submit supporting documents showing eligibility, such as a cost reduction letter.
On May 5, Goh forged a letter that said her mother had been fired as a kitchen worker at the Ion Orchard Mall food court.
Goh then attached the letter to the online application form, stating that her mother lost her job on April 7, when in fact she had been fired on May 4, Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Lim said.
The DPP said he continued to be paid for April and May, and received an official spending cut letter only around June 3.
[[nid:486838]]On May 14, Goh created a spending reduction memorandum allegedly issued on March 1 by his father’s former employer, Ee Hui Food Catering. He stated that his father was no longer employed by the company at that time.
DPP Lim said Goh, who was unemployed when he committed the crimes, then submitted his father’s application online with the attached forged memo.
However, the elderly Mr. Goh had stopped working for Ee Hui on February 29, according to court documents.
Subsequently, he had also resigned as a cook at a noodle stand owned by another company and had not been fired.
Subsequently, MSF determined that both forged documents were fraudulent.
While no money was disbursed to Madam Tan, the older Mr. Goh had already received $ 800. He has since returned the money.
District Judge Tan Jen Tse granted Goh’s request to postpone his sentence until September 28, so that he can resolve his personal matters.
For each crime, Goh could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
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This article was first published in The times of the strait.
