Man jailed for forging girlfriend’s marriage cert with ex-husband’s details to keep HDB rental
A man facing eviction from his rental flat allegedly stole a digital copy of his girlfriend’s marriage certificate with her former husband, altered the details and submitted the forged document to the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in a bid to keep his home.
Muhammad Faizal, 37, was sentenced to six months’ jail after pleading guilty to one charge of forgery for the purpose of cheating.
According to a Shin Min Daily News report, court documents showed that Faizal had divorced his former wife in December 2021.
The couple had previously lived together in a one-room rental flat. After their divorce, his ex-wife moved out and was removed from the tenancy.
HDB subsequently informed Faizal that he would have to prove that he was married if he wanted to continue renting the flat. Otherwise, he would have to apply jointly with a roommate under the Joint Singles Scheme.
As Faizal did not meet the requirements, HDB issued a notice on July 24, 2023, requiring him to move out and return the flat.
He then tried to find a way to remain in the unit.
On Sept 5, 2023, Faizal applied to HDB to add his girlfriend and her daughter as occupants of the flat.
He claimed that he and his partner were married, but was unable to produce a marriage certificate at the time.
That same night, Faizal secretly looked through his girlfriend’s phone and found an electronic copy of her marriage certificate with her former husband.
He forwarded the document to himself and used photo-editing software to alter the groom’s name, NRIC number and marriage date.
The next day, he emailed the forged certificate to HDB.
The deception went undetected for almost a year.
It only came to light in October 2024, when Faizal’s girlfriend separately applied for a rental flat as a divorced person and declared her daughter’s custody arrangements.
Investigators discovered that the marriage certificate Faizal had submitted was almost identical to the woman’s actual certificate with her former husband.
The only noticeable differences were the font used for the groom’s name, NRIC number and marriage date.
The forged document stated that Faizal and his girlfriend had married on May 25, 2023.
However, the woman’s divorce from her former husband had not even been finalised at that time.
Faizal was subsequently charged with forgery for the purpose of cheating and sentenced to six months’ jail.
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