SINGAPORE, Feb 6 — A 29-year-old financial services analyst in Singapore has been fined S$4,000 (RM13,000) after forging a death certificate to take paid bereavement leave, the court heard yesterday.
According to Channel News Asia (CNA), Barath Gopal had recently discovered his girlfriend’s infidelity and, struggling with his emotions, became unable to focus on his work.
Despite having more than four days of annual leave available, he sought to take three days of paid bereavement leave by fabricating his grandfather’s death.
In November 2023, Barath informed his team leader that his grandfather had passed away in his sleep and requested bereavement leave.
His company granted him the maximum three days off, which would have covered him until November 10.
However, when asked later to provide the death certificate, Barath claimed he could not obtain it until his father returned from India on November 27.
On December 7, after further pressure from his employer, Barath took a more deceptive route. He contacted the stepmother of a deceased friend and requested a death certificate, falsely claiming it was needed to justify his absence at the funeral.
Barath then altered the certificate using a PDF editing tool, replacing his friend’s details with those of his alleged grandfather. He even fabricated details like the cause of death and certificate number.
Barath submitted a partial image of the forged certificate on December 11 but omitted a crucial QR code, leading his team leader to request a full version.
Eventually, Barath sent the complete certificate, but by then, he had already resigned, anticipating the company’s discovery of the forgery.
His employer never had the chance to verify the document with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.
Barath ‘s actions cost the company approximately S$500, equivalent to the salary he received during his fraudulent leave.
In Singapore, forgery of a death, birth, or stillbirth certificate can result in up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
