No action will be taken against a former worker of Sumo Salad who was alleged by the food business’ late owner to have filed a false work injury claim.
This comes after no evidence of cheating or fraud had been found to support these allegations, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a joint statement on Tuesday (13 Oct).
Source: Google Maps
A day before her death, Sumo Salad owner Jane Lee had published Facebook posts accusing the former worker of staging an accident to file a false work injury claim.
But during its investigations, the police found no evidence to suggest that the former worker had committed the offence of cheating, the statement said.
This was “after careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the matter”, it added.
MOM, which investigated the work injury claim, also found no evidence of fraud.
As such, after consulting the Attorney-General’s Chambers, SPF will not be taking any further action against the former worker in this matter.
Her work injury claim will also be admitted and processed in accordance with the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA).
MOM noted that the designated insurer had reimbursed the company in June 2025 for the medical costs and medical leave wages incurred over the work injury up till that point.
It will continue to cover the eligible compensation benefits under WICA, the ministry added.
During the investigation, MOM also reviewed the insurance coverage for work injury compensation of EatGreen Pte Ltd — the company that operates Sumo Salad, which is now named Sumo Well.
It found that the company’s insurance policy only covered two employees.
This means that while it had coverage for the former worker’s claim, it did not cover its remaining employees, which is required under WICA.
MOM thus issued a stern warning to EatGreen for this lapse under WICA.
MOM said it takes the WICA framework seriously as it ensures that workers who suffer work-related injuries or occupational diseases get timely financial support.
It also safeguards employers’ interests through due process and capped compensation limits.
The ministry will thus “not hesitate to take action” against those behind false or misleading claims or circumvention of WICA.
It noted that the framework also includes an avenue for both employers and employees to raise objections before their claims are settled, so that all parties have the opportunity to present their cases.
In a coroner’s inquiry that opened on 8 Oct, it was heard that Ms Lee, 44, had been found dead at the foot of a block in the Bukit Timah area on 19 July 2025, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Source: Jane Lee on Facebook
She apologised to her loved ones in a suicide note in her laptop, and addressed her friends, staff and fellow business owners in her final Facebook post.
On the day before her death, Ms Lee was found drunk, drenched in water and unconscious at Changi Beach.
She was apprehended by the police under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act and taken to Changi General Hospital, where doctors assessed that she had attempted suicide.
She was then transferred to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), but discharged against medical advice on the same day. The police investigation officer who handled the case said she and her husband were “keen on the discharge”.
Ms Lee had seemed to be stressed over a foreign worker who had filed a workplace injury compensation claim against her, and had been sending her medical bills, her husband said.
Though the insurer had already paid some of the worker’s hospital bills, she feared she had not signed up for the right insurance plan, and it would not cover the worker’s claim for total permanent incapacity.
Three days before Ms Lee’s death, an MOM officer received an email from her, asking if she had to pay more medicals bills.
The officer said she sounded “calm and composed”, but was told that the information should be given to the insurer directly.
During the proceedings, Ms Lee’s husband broke down in court, saying that he had seen court photos that had triggered him.
Here are some helplines available for those struggling with mental health issues:
Also read: Sumo Salad owner dies after alleging employee made fraudulent work injury claim, MOM investigating
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Featured image adapted from Jane Lee on Facebook and Google Maps.