Forged Document – section 471 of the Penal Code

Penalty for Committing Forgery in Singapore

1. Introduction

Our Singapore criminal lawyer Suang Wijaya represented an Australian man who was charged for the use of forged Ed Sheeran concert passes at the sold-out performances at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in November 2017.

A person is said to have committed forgery if he/she makes a false document or electronic record or part of a document or an electronic record, with the intent to (Section 463 of the Penal Code):

• Cause damage or injury to the public or to any person;
• Support any claim or title;
• Cause any person to part with property;
• Enter into any express or implied contract; or
• Commit fraud, or permitting fraud to be committed.

2. Background to the forgery offence

Ed Sheeran’s concert ticket cost between $108 and $248. The concert was held at Singapore Indoor Stadium on 11 and 12 November.

To watch the concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, concert goers had to purchase the tickets. Security checks and screenings were conducted at the entrances of Singapore Indoor Stadium. This was to ensure that the concert goers had valid tickets before entering the Stadium.

At a sold-out Ed Sheeran concert last month, our client admitted to abetting another in a conspiracy to use a forged “Ed-sheeran All Area Access Family and Guests” pass as genuine.

Our client’s face a charged under section 471 and read with section 465 of the Penal Code.

Section 471 of the Penal Code provides that

Using as genuine a forged document or forged electronic record

471. Whoever fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any document or electronic record which he knows or has reason to believe to be a forged document or forged electronic record, shall be punished in the same manner as if he had forged such document or electronic record.

Section 465 of the Penal Code provides that

Punishment for forgery

465. Whoever commits forgery shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 4 years, or with fine, or with both.

Our client was sentenced to four weeks’ imprisonment. For the offence committed, our client could have been sentenced to jail for up to four years or with fine, or with both.

3. Suang was quoted in The Straits Times

The Straits Times quoted Suang:

[Our client] who has two children, was remorseful and understood the gravity of the offences.