FOUR Singaporeans - three men and a woman - were arrested by Singapore Customs on Monday for fraudulent evasion of duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Ng Wee Siang, 30; Han Wan Kwang, 35; and Han Ong Guan, 72, face 26 charges each for evasion of excise duty and GST involving the import of 34 units of Japanese cars of various makes.
The duty and GST amounted to $31,899.28.
Han Wan Kwang and Han Ong Guan each also faces additional nine counts of furnishing money for the purchase of the vehicles.
The fourth person, Tan Wei Gek, 29, faces 14 charges for evasion of duty and GST amounting to $14,950.37 involving the import of 17 of the vehicles.
The offences took place between February and August 2005.
It is the first time Singapore Customs is prosecuting someone for furnishing money to facilitate the fraudulent evasion of duty and GST on imported motor vehicles.
The four will be charged in court on Tuesday.
Any person who is guilty of fraudulent evasion of duties or GST can be fined up to 20 times the amount of duties and GST evaded or, in default, a jail sentence.
The offenders are also required to make good the duty and GST short-paid to the government.
