Man Fined $4,000 for Forging Grandfather’s Death Certificate to Take Leave from Work

Barath Gopal, 29, has been handed a $4,000 fine after admitting to forging his grandfather’s death certificate in an attempt to take time off work. The incident occurred following Gopal’s discovery of his girlfriend’s infidelity, which left him unable to focus on his job as a security financing operation analyst.

Between November 2022 and December 2023, Gopal worked in this role and had accumulated four days of annual leave. However, in November 2023, after learning of his girlfriend’s cheating, he sought to take a break but chose to fabricate a story instead of using his leave entitlement.

Gopal falsely claimed that his grandfather had passed away in his sleep, requesting three days of compassionate leave, the maximum allowed by his employer. His leave request, which was from November 8 to November 10, 2023, was granted without issue.

Things took a turn when his supervisor asked for the death certificate to verify the claim. Gopal initially delayed, stating that the document could only be obtained once his father returned from India. On December 7, 2023, his supervisor insisted that he submit the certificate the following day. In response, Gopal manipulated a death certificate from a deceased friend, altering the details to match those of his grandfather. He edited the document and removed the QR code at the bottom, which would have confirmed the certificate’s authenticity, and submitted the fake document to his supervisor.

Eventually, Gopal provided the full, unedited certificate, but by then, his deception had been uncovered. A week later, he resigned from his position, anticipating the inevitable discovery of his actions.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, responsible for issuing death certificates, noted that Gopal’s former employer had incurred almost $500 in losses for the fraudulent compassionate leave. Prosecutors sought a fine in the range of $4,000 to $5,000 for the offence.

Under the law, individuals convicted of forging death, birth, or stillbirth certificates can face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.