Government subsidy scandal: Two women charged over fake pay slips to pocket taxpayer money

SINGAPORE: Two women will be charged on Friday (Feb 14) in connection with the creation of false pay slips to obtain salary support and course fee subsidies under Workforce Singapore’s (WSG) Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs).

According to Channel News Asia’s latest report, a 40-year-old woman who serves as the director of a software development and web design company allegedly registered five employees for the PCP. However, two of these employees were found to be “phantom workers”— individuals unemployed by the company. The remaining three employees had inflated salaries submitted for the scheme.

The PCP, renamed the Career Conversion Programme in 2021, is designed to assist mid-career professionals, managers, executives, and technicians (PMETs) by allowing them to gain new skills and transition into different industries. In return, eligible employers can receive salary support and course fee subsidies for these employees. The employees’ reported monthly salaries determine the salary support.

Between November 2017 and October 2018, the director is accused of submitting false employment contracts and payslips for the five individuals to the Supply Chain and Logistics Academy (SCALA), a partner organization in the PCP.

A 54-year-old woman, one of the registered employees, allegedly assisted in creating these fraudulent documents and submitted them to SCALA on behalf of the company.

As a result, the company received S$65,571 (approximately US$48,600) in salary support and S$32,284 in upfront course fee subsidies from SCALA.

The two women now face charges of cheating, an offence that can result in up to 10 years’ jail and a fine.

The Singapore Police Force emphasized its zero tolerance for the abuse of government grants, stating, “Offenders will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.”

This case underscores the ongoing efforts to protect government-funded programmes from fraudulent activity and ensure the integrity of support systems designed to help local workers.