Jail term for man who made 20 dishonest wage subsidy applications
18 March 2025.
A man who made 24 fraudulent COVID-19 Wage Subsidy claims and received almost $36,000 has been jailed for 21 months.
Mohammed Alfaaz appeared in Manukau District Court on 13 March having earlier pleaded guilty to five charges of dishonestly using a document, and one representative charge for the same offence.
Alfaaz, 45, of Frankton, submitted the applications online to MSD between March 2020 and October 2021.
He used a number of different personal and business names, Inland Revenue numbers and bank account numbers.
Five of the claims resulted in $35,861.60 being paid under the scheme, and reparations for the full amount were sought.
Judge Clare Bennett sentenced Alfaaz to 21 months in jail. Leave to apply for home detention was declined.
Judge Bennett ordered full reparation be paid, with payments to start after his release from prison.
A total of 35 people have been sentenced in wage subsidy cases, and another 54 people are still before the courts as part of MSD’s programme of work on wage subsidy fraud and integrity. Since the scheme started, more than $829 million* in wage subsidies has been repaid. For more information about the Wage Subsidy Integrity and Fraud Programme please see here.
*Figures at 28 February
