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A 37-year-old Chinese woman was fined S$5,000 (Rs 3,26,681) by a Singaporean court for forging a medical certificate to take a nine-day leave from work. Notably, Su Qin, a 37-year-old software developer was employed at ETC Singapore SEC. As per a report by Channel News Asia, she wanted a break due to her health issues and concerns about her mother’s well-being but didn’t want her company to think poorly of her. Instead of taking regular leave, she opted to forge the medical certificate, which allowed her to receive hospitalization leave pay totalling S$3,541.15. She also forged her mother’s death certificate to extend her stay in China and care for her ailing mother.
Ms Qin used Adobe Photoshop to edit a legitimate certificate, changing the hospital name to “St Luke’s Hospital” and altering the dates to match her desired leave period. Su’s plan initially worked, and she received hospitalization leave pay. However, things took a turn when she resigned on April 4, and the company’s HR department reviewed her leave and benefits. They discovered the forged certificate, noticed the blurred QR code, and found the web link broken. When asked to submit an original copy, Su created a fake link and QR code and submitted a second forged medical certificate.
Ms Qi was then confronted by the HR head, fired with 24 hours’ notice, and reported to the police. She pleaded guilty to one count of forgery, with two additional charges taken into consideration. She later compensated the company.
Su Qin’s lawyer, Richard Lim, pleaded for a lenient fine, arguing that Su’s actions weren’t motivated by malice or financial gain, but rather a desperate attempt to address personal struggles.
“Instead, they were the impulsive decisions of an individual under immense emotional and physical strain to cope with overwhelming personal and professional stress. The accused has learned a bitter lesson and has had sleepless nights worrying about this matter. She has been terminated by both companies as a result of her wrongdoings and is currently unemployed,” he said.
Su Qin came to Singapore in 2005 as an 18-year-old scholarship recipient from the Ministry of Education. She graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from Nanyang Technological University and established a successful career as a software engineer. As the sole breadwinner for her elderly parents, she shoulders full responsibility for their well-being.
Her lawyer, Mr Lim, presented these circumstances in the mitigation plea, highlighting her contributions to Singapore and her family’s reliance on her.
