SINGAPORE - A 47-year-old woman has been accused of trying to cheat the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) into giving her a monthly cash payout from the Covid-19 Support Grant.

Rajagopal Malini, who was charged in court on Tuesday (June 8), faces a total of 12 counts of cheating, forgery and criminal breach of trust. Two of the charges involve the MSF.

Malini is said to have declared in her Covid-19 Support Grant application that she had been placed on involuntary no-pay leave of more than three months due to the pandemic.

This was so she could purportedly induce MSF into delivering a monthly cash grant of $800 for three months.

She allegedly forged a termination letter to support the false declaration in her application.

The police said in a news release on Tuesday that the MSF did not approve her Covid-19 Support Grant application.

The grant was launched in May last year to provide financial support to Singaporeans affected by the economic impact of Covid-19. It is administered by the MSF.

Of the remaining 10 charges, nine relate to a stolen credit card which was purportedly used to make about $13,000 worth of unauthorised transactions at Nex shopping centre on Sept 21 last year.

She has also been charged with criminal breach of trust by an employee, for allegedly misappropriating $4,015.72 in July last year from her employer - Colliers International Consultancy and Valuation, a real estate management services company.

The offences of cheating, conspiring to cheat and committing forgery for the purpose of cheating each carry a jail term of up to 10 years and fines.
For criminal breach of trust by employees, she could face a jail term of up to 15 years and a fine.