#MACC: Officer Says Submitting False Sick Claims Is An Offence

Thinking of faking a sickness to get a day off? Well, you’ve been warned.

In a report by The Star Online, a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer said that employees being absent from work under the pretense of being sick are considered committing corruption.

Mohamad Tarmize Abdul Manaf, the commission’s community education division officer, wrote a post about submitting fake sick claims being a crime on MACC’s official blog.

In a post titled “Menipu Sakit, Satu Kesalahan Rasuah” (Faking Illness, A Corruption Crime), the officer offered his explanation on why producing a medical certificate with false information or claim was an offence under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act. He said that submitting a sick claim was no different from submitting a claim, a receipt or an invoice.

He wrote:

Did you know that producing a medical certificate with false information about one’s illness is corruption? It is under the fake claims category.

Mohamad Tarmize wrote that people shouldn’t take sick leave and MCs lightly, further citing a legal precedent where the accused was found guilty for falsely taking 2 sick days with full salary. Though the defence said MCs were not covered under the Act, the judge ruled that MCs had monetary value. The accused was then ordered to refund the money and slapped with a fine.

The officer added that “doctors also have a responsibility to be cautious when a patient applies for sick leave”.

MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner (Prevention) Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali confirmed that it was an offence to submit fake MCs to employees, adding that it deceived the principal. He said that employees who submit false claims could be jailed for up to 20 years and fined under Section 24.

Meanwhile, the Malaysia Employers Federation revealed in a 2014 report that employers are losing a whopping RM2.9bil annually to pay staff who are replacing colleagues on medical leave. It was also reported that Malaysian employers were incurring more than RM1bil in losses annually because of workers who faked sickness to get sick leave or MCs.

What do you think? Is it a crime to submit false sick claims? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.

Source: The Star Online.