Counterfeiting Her Dismissal To Receive COVID-19 Assistance From Government, This Woman Was Sentenced To Prison

Illustration of COVID-19 in Singapore. (Wikimedia Commons/ZKang123)

JAKARTA - A woman was sentenced to five weeks in prison on Monday for falsifying documents for obtaining COVID-19 assistance from the government.

Goh Chyi Chen, 42, pleaded guilty to one charge of falsifying her dismissal letter from work. Another charge of trying to deceive Singapore's Ministry of Social Affairs and Family Development (MSF) is considered to be sentenced.

In the court hearing, Goh is known to have worked as a senior retail executive at Rigel Telecom. She was sacked in May 2020 for unsatisfactory work performance.

The reason for Goh's dismissal was stated in a letter issued by Rigel Telecom, and her dismissal was not related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the court said.

On October 1, 2020, Goh submitted an online application to get a COVID-19 Support Grant, including a forged termination letter.

She used word processing software to change the contents of the letter, removing all the reasons given for her dismissal, stating it was due to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 Support Grant, managed by MSF, provides financial assistance to Singaporeans who are economically affected by the pandemic.

For those who lost their jobs or had no payout leave for at least three months in a row, the grant provided monthly cash grants of up to 800 Singapore dollars for three months. The cash support quota is based on the last monthly salary withdrawn, limited to 800 Singapore dollars.

On October 12, 2020, MSF officers contacted the company to verify the contents of the letter, knowing that the company did not issue the letter.

When officers contacted Goh by telephone, she continued to claim to be dismissed due to the pandemic. MSF finally rejected Goh's proposal.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Norman Yew argued that Goh's actions endangered public funds, suggesting she remained lying when questioned by MSF officers.

She also said Goh had been linked with previous penalties for fraud, forgery, and criminal violations of trust, although this happened in 2004 and was relatively outdated.

Meanwhile, Goh's lawyer Anand Nalachandran, who hopes her client is convicted for no more than a week, asked the court to consider the 'disaus situation' Goh experienced when she was offended.

He highlighted that after Goh's violation, he was diagnosed with depression by the Institute of Mental Health.

Although it has nothing to do with Goh's offenses, the diagnosis shows she faces some pressure in her life that causes her mistakes, the lawyer explained.

Nalawandran also believes that the Goh application submission was rejected by MSF, no public funds were channeled to her.

It is known, the sentence for counterfeiting is up to four years in prison, a fine or both.