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10 weeks’ jail for man who forged retrenchment letter to get Covid-19 Support Grant

SINGAPORE — He had voluntarily resigned from his work at Davis Guitar Music Centre, which sells musical instruments, in July last year as he was dissatisfied with the job.

Benny Ong Hong Beng forged a retrenchment letter so that he could qualify for a support grant meant for those who had lost jobs or income due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Benny Ong Hong Beng forged a retrenchment letter so that he could qualify for a support grant meant for those who had lost jobs or income due to the Covid-19 crisis.

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  • Benny Ong Hong Beng was dissatisfied with his job, so he resigned
  • He then forged a letter saying he had been retrenched, to qualify for the Covid-19 Support Grant
  • He pleaded guilty to one forgery charge and was jailed 10 weeks

 

SINGAPORE — He had voluntarily resigned from his work at Davis Guitar Music Centre, which sells musical instruments, in July last year as he was dissatisfied with the job.

However, he wanted to qualify for a monthly payout of up to S$800 under the Government’s Covid-19 Support Grant, so Benny Ong Hong Beng forged a retrenchment letter to falsely declare that he had involuntarily lost his job due to the pandemic.

The financial support scheme, meant to help employees who had lost their job or lost income for reasons related to the Covid-19 situation, was announced on March 26 last year as part of the national Resilience Budget to deal with the economic and social impact of Covid-19.

Ong, 44, pleaded guilty to one forgery charge on Thursday (July 1) and was jailed for 10 weeks.

Court documents did not state what was Ong's job role in Davis Guitar Music Centre before he tendered his resignation letter on July 6 last year. His last day of employment was July 9.

The court heard that Ong came to know of the grant after he had stopped working and he went to Bukit Panjang Social Service Office on July 16 to apply for it in person.

To support the application, he provided the forged letter, which carried a fake Davis Guitar Music Centre letterhead.

He wrote: “Due to the recent Covid-19 pandemic and challenging business environment, we regret to inform you that we have decided to cease your employment.

“Your employment will cease on 9th July 2020 and we sincerely wish you all the best in your future endeavours.”

Ong then inserted the name of his employer, someone called Janet Chiang, at the bottom of the letter to make it appear as though she had written the letter, and signed on it after printing it out.

Ong’s ruse was uncovered when MSF contacted Ms Chiang thereafter and she filed a police report.

If Ong was successful, he would have received a payout totalling S$2,400 over three months.

When pleading for a lower jail term of five to six weeks for Ong, his lawyer, Mr Just Wang of Bird & Bird LLP, told the court that his client had committed the offence out of “financial pressure and desperation”, and that the act was not fuelled by greed or opportunism.

Mr Wang pointed out that Ong had taken a loan from the United Overseas Bank and was facing a real risk of defaulting on it because he could not find alternative employment during the pandemic.

Mr Wang added that although it cannot be corroborated, Ong had wished to withdraw his grant application immediately after handing it in, but he did not know how to do so. 

Ong also thought that the application would be rejected and, if he succeeded in getting the grant, he had resolved to return it, Mr Wang said.

Ong could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined for the offence of forgery for the purpose of cheating.

Related topics

forgery court crime cheating Covid-19 Support Grant

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