SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Monday (Jul 21) it was looking into an alleged fraudulent work injury claim made against EatGreen, the operator of eatery Sumo Salad.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) also said that investigations were ongoing into the unnatural death of Ms Jane Lee, Sumo Salad’s owner.
Ms Lee, who was in her 40s, died on Saturday after making two Facebook posts about an employee who allegedly faked a workplace injury to seek compensation from the company.
“Just two days before her contract ended, she staged an incident – claiming to have slipped and fallen while taking the escalator to dispose of rubbish,” Ms Lee wrote in one post on Friday.
“On that day, she was supposed to leave work early, but she deliberately stayed back. It became clear to me that the accident was premeditated, likely as an attempt to file a false work injury claim.”
Ms Lee, a mother of two, added that she believed this was “a carefully orchestrated scheme” that the employee planned with the employee’s husband.
“I feel extremely unfortunate to have encountered this situation. I am deeply saddened – for myself, my husband and our dedicated staff – that because of an unfortunate gap in our insurance coverage, we are now being targeted by what I believe to be a fraudulent scheme,” she said in the post.
Ms Lee said she had video footage contradicting the employee’s claim about being injured, and had seen the woman moving around normally.
“However, her behaviour changes dramatically in the presence of others, especially doctors, where she exaggerates her condition and limps to feign serious injury,” she wrote.
In another post published shortly after, Ms Lee urged MOM and the police to investigate the matter thoroughly.
“I fear that I will not be the last victim, and these individuals may continue to exploit other unsuspecting small businesses in similar ways,” she wrote.
She also apologised to her employees for the situation and said she had transferred some funds to them.
“To my beloved family and children, I’m truly sorry that I couldn’t find the strength to face this battle on my own,” she wrote as she concluded the post.
MOM said that it had been in communication with Ms Lee, and that its investigations into the claim are ongoing.
The worker involved was covered under the Work Injury Compensation (WIC) Act, and MOM is working with the employee’s insurer to “assess the validity of the case”, it said.
“MOM will not hesitate to take parties found culpable for abusing the WIC system to task. Employers can approach MOM for help if they have concerns over fraudulent claims by their employees,” the ministry added.
MOM also extended its condolences to Ms Lee’s family.
Sumo Salad, a salad chain now known as Sumo Well, has outlets in Holland Village and Marina One. When CNA visited the Holland Village outlet on Monday afternoon, staff said it had opened for business as usual that day.
