A former director of a chiropractic company was sentenced to eight months in jail after he was found to have conspired with two insurance agents to provide false reports on 12 patients defrauding Manulife Singapore out of over SG$17,000.
Charles Loo Boon Ann, 30, former director of the Chiropractic Focus Group (CFG) but now its shareholder, pleaded guilty to six cheating charges involving $4,250 and six patients, the Straits Times reported. Another 11 similar charges involving the remaining amount and the other six patients were taken into account in sentencing.
The cases against Loo’s alleged accomplices, insurance agents Priscilla Tien Ling, 27, and Mike Chew Jun Yong, 37, are still pending.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Sng told the court that Loo would refer patients seeking treatment for pre-existing conditions to the two insurance agents, who would then sell personal accident insurance policies from Manulife to the patients.
Once the insurance policies were bought, the patients would claim the cost of the treatments against the policy, with Loo pretending that the treatments happened after the policies came into effect.
“The accused and co-accused persons were aware at all material times that the Manulife personal accident insurance policies did not cover pre-existing conditions and that the cost of the patients’ treatment at CFG therefore could not be claimed against the policies,” Sng said. “Nevertheless, the accused and co-accused persons facilitated claims made by the patients.”
However, it was not mentioned whether the patients knew that they were taking part in a fraudulent activity.
