Former Sumo Salad employee cleared of cheating, work injury fraud allegations

SINGAPORE: A former employee of Sumo Salad has been cleared of allegations of cheating and of filing a fraudulent work injury claim following investigations by the police and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

The police found no evidence that the former employee committed the offence of cheating and, in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, will not take further action in the case, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a joint media release on Tuesday (Oct 13).

MOM also found no evidence of fraud in a work injury compensation claim filed by the former employee against the eatery's operator, EatGreen. Accordingly, the designated insurer will admit and process the claim under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA), SPF and MOM said.

The authorities said that the insurer had earlier reimbursed EatGreen in June 2025 for the medical costs and medical leave wages incurred for the work injury up until then and will continue to cover the eligible compensation benefits under WICA.

MOM added that it reviewed EatGreen's work injury compensation insurance coverage during its investigations and found that while the company had insurance coverage for the former worker's claim, its policy only covered two staff members and not its remaining employees as required under WICA.

It issued a stern warning to the company for this lapse under WICA.

The case arose following the death of Sumo Salad's owner, who had published Facebook posts about the former employee who she claimed had filed a false work injury claim to get compensation.

Earlier this month, a coroner's court heard that the woman had been stressed over the workplace injury claim against her that she said was fraudulent. The woman was found dead at the foot of a housing block in July 2025.

"The WICA ensures that workers who suffer work-related injuries or occupational diseases receive timely financial support, while safeguarding employers' interests through due process and capped compensation limits," said SPF and MOM.

The framework includes an avenue for both employers and employees to raise objections before claim settlement, giving all parties the opportunity to present their case before decisions are finalised.

"MOM takes the integrity of this framework seriously and will not hesitate to take action against those responsible for false or misleading claims or circumvention of the framework," the authorities added.