SINGAPORE - Two men were charged in court on Friday (Jan 29) with forgery and cheating-related offences in their attempt to receive monies from the Covid-19 Support Grant (CSG) and the Temporary Relief Fund (TRF).
In a statement, police said a 43-year-old man was charged after he allegedly attempted to cheat the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) into disbursing funds from the CSG.
He is said to have falsely declared in his application that he had lost his job due to the pandemic.
"He is also alleged to have submitted a forged retrenchment letter and provided additional false information to MSF to support the false declaration in his CSG application.
"MSF did not approve his CSG application," said the police.
The grant supports those who had lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 situation, as well as employees placed on involuntary no-pay leave for at least three consecutive months and employees who have had their salaries reduced by at least 30 per cent for three consecutive months.
These changes must have taken place after Jan 23 last year.
Under the scheme, workers receive up to $800 a month for three months if they meet the job loss or no-pay leave criteria.
The other case involves a 48-year-old man who allegedly cheated MSF into disbursing $500 from the TRF by falsely declaring that he had lost at least 30 per cent of his income.
Police said the man had purportedly also provided false information to an MSF officer regarding his TRF application.
The one-off interim assistance scheme is to help those who had lost their jobs or a substantial portion of their income due to Covid-19.
The fund is administered by MSF and the People's Association.
The police said that they take a serious view against any person involved in dishonest or fraudulent conduct pertaining to applications for government grants, and that offenders will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.
If convicted, the two men could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined for cheating or attempted cheating.
They could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined for forgery.
The crime of providing false information to a public servant carries an imprisonment term of up to two years, a fine, or both.
