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SINGAPORE – A man was sentenced to three months in jail on Thursday (September 17) for falsifying documents to mislead authorities into improperly 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.
In sentencing him, District Judge Tan Jen Tse said a strong signal was needed to deter other potential offenders.
Court documents claim that Goh had 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 lost their jobs, as well as employees who were placed on involuntary leave without pay or had their salary reduced by at least 30% for at least three consecutive months.
The grant provides Singaporeans and permanent residents up to $ 800 per month for three months if they meet the criteria for job loss or unpaid absence.
Those who qualify based on their pay cut will receive up to $ 500 per month for three months, with the amount based on the amount of monthly base salary lost.
An individual applying for the grant will also need to submit supporting documents proving eligibility, such as a letter of termination or termination of the contract.
On May 5, Goh forged a letter saying her mother had been fired from her job as a kitchen clerk at the Ion Orchard Mall food court.
Goh then attached the forged letter to the online grant application form, stating that her mother had lost her job on April 7, Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Lim said.
“In truth, Madam Tan lost her job on May 4 when she was fired,” the DPP said.
The DPP also said that he continued to receive his full salary and Central Provident Fund contributions for April and May, and was only provided with an official spending cut letter around June 3.
Goh again forged another document on May 14.
This time, he created a spending cut memorandum allegedly issued on March 1 by his father’s former employer, Ee Hui Food Catering. The memo stated that his father was no longer an employee of the company.
DPP Lim said that Goh, who was unemployed when he committed the crimes, then submitted his father’s online grant application form along 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 from his job as a cook at a noodle stand owned by another company and had not been fired.
MSF subsequently determined that both forged documents were fraudulent.
Although no money was disbursed to Madam Tan, the older Mr. Goh had already received $ 800. He has since returned the money.
Goh is also the first person to be sentenced for tricking the government into disbursing grants for people affected by the pandemic, DPP Lim said on Thursday.
The case of Chow Jia Chuan, 29, another person charged with similar crimes, is still pending.
Urging the court to jail Goh for three months, DPP Lim said in his written submissions that Goh had sought to exploit the Covid-19 pandemic and the government’s response to financially benefit his parents.
“Therefore, it is necessary for the court to send a clear message to the public and a dissuasive signal to potential offenders that any attempt to mislead the government and unduly enrich themselves or others at the expense of those who really have a right to donation (given the limited budget assigned to these disbursements), will be met with severe punishment, “he added.
District Judge Tan 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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