A Doveton tiler has been ordered to repay more than $90,000 for fraudulently obtaining workers comp payments.
Rahmatullah Jafari, 28, had injured his back while working for his brother-in-law’s company but continued to receive WorkCover payments when he returned to work, a court was told.
Jafari made his workers comp claim in September 2019 and continued receiving payments until the fraud was uncovered in February 2022.
WorkSafe investigators found that Jafari undertook tiling work for his Narre Warren employer Excellent Tiling and Waterproofing Pty Ltd as well as for his own tiling company while receiving workers compensation.
On his certificates of capacity, Jafari declared he had not worked, WorkSafe submitted.
Jafari was convicted in the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 16 November after pleading guilty to one charge of fraudulently obtaining payments.
He was ordered to repay $92,774 in workers comp payments.
He was also placed on a two-year community corrections order including 240 hours of unpaid community work.
Excellent Tiling and Waterproofing pleaded guilty for failing to notify that a worker who had been receiving weekly payments had returned to work.
The business was fined $1,000 without conviction
WorkSafe insurance executive director Roger Arnold said this kind of dishonesty undermined the integrity of the WorkCover system.
“Weekly workers compensation payments are there to help Victorian workers who genuinely need help to recover from an injury and get back to work,” Mr Arnold said.
“If you are caught cheating the system the consequences will be serious, including having to pay back any payments you were not entitled to.”
