NTU dropout pleads guilty to forging degree certificate to get hired by 3 firms including Walt Disney Company

Fonseka Wannerichega Hema Ranjini arrives at the State Courts on Nov 23, 2023.
SINGAPORE — After dropping out from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Fonseka Wannerichega Hema Ranjini forged an NTU Bachelor of Engineering degree certificate which she used to get hired at three firms, including The Walt Disney Company.
The 44-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty on Thursday (Nov 23) to two cheating charges and one charge of forgery.
Two other cheating charges will be taken into consideration when Fonseka returns to court for sentencing on Dec 6.
Fonseka's defence counsel will also be making a mitigation plea on her behalf on the same day.
The court heard that after she passed her A-Levels, Fonseka enrolled at NTU in 1998 to study engineering (mechanical and production engineering).
However, she withdrew from the programme in August 2004 as she struggled to meet the passing requirements for the various modules and pay the tuition fees.
DESIGNING A FAKE NTU DEGREE
Sometime in 2005, Fonseka decided to design a certificate using an unknown computer program to show that she had graduated from NTU with a Bachelor of Engineering degree with third class honours.
To create the certificate, Fonseka searched for information about NTU online and inserted false signatures of the "president" and the "registrar".
She then purchased a heavy type of paper known as cardstock to print out the certificate and had it laminated.
Fonseka intended to use the fake certificate to apply for jobs to obtain a higher salary as she thought that candidates with a university degree drew a higher salary than those without.
SUCCESSFULLY GETTING HIRED FOR THE JOB
Using her fake degree certificate, Fonseka applied for the role of an assistant managing editor with Marshall Cavendish in August 2005 and was hired with a monthly salary of about S$4,200.
She later switched roles within the company where she drew the same salary as an acquisition associate from November 2012 to May 2013.
About two years later, Fonseka applied for a job with Scholastic Education International, a publisher and distributor of children's books and educational materials.
She submitted the same false document and was hired as an assistant managing director from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.
From July 1, 2016, she was given the role as a managing editor and drew a monthly salary of S$4,600.
Fonseka was terminated less than a year later on Feb 22, 2017, due to unsatisfactory work performance.
WORKING AND GETTING FOUND OUT AT DISNEY
Sometime in 2021, Fonseka applied for a job with The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia).
As part of her job application, Fonseka was required to submit her resume as well as a digital copy of her supposed Bachelor of Engineering degree certificate.
The Walt Disney Company employed Fonseka as a learning editor in publishing from June 21 in 2021 with a monthly salary including transport allowance of S$7,884.
After she started work, the company sent her certificate to be validated by Sterling Risq, a third-party vendor specialising in background checks, said Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Melissa Heng.
Sterling Risq sent in a request for the certificate to be validated by the Office of Academic Services at NTU, which later informed Sterling Risq that Fonseka had withdrawn from NTU and was not awarded a degree or certificate.
In early October 2021, The Walt Disney Company was notified by Sterling Risq that it had been unable to validate Fonseka's certificate.
After she was contacted by the company's human resources department for an explanation, Fonseka claimed that she withdrew from NTU in her final year but the certificate was issued to her after she requested paperwork to prove that she was enrolled at NTU for a period of time.
Fonseka also claimed that she was unaware that her certificate was invalid until she was informed by them, even though she knew that this was not true, added DPP Heng.
She tendered her resignation to The Walt Disney Company on Dec 3 and stopped working there on Dec 17.
Fonseka was arrested on May 10 this year after a police report was lodged by an NTU staff member on Oct 21, in 2021.
For committing forgery, Fonseka could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
For each charge of cheating, she could be jailed for up to three years or fined, or both.