A BUSINESSMAN who fraudulently evaded duty and Goods and Services Tax on car imports totalling $145,181 has been fined $1.4 million.

As Toh Chee Wee, 36, could not pay the fines, he will serve a default sentence of 100 weeks in jail.

Toh, then owner of Yi Sheng Trading, was fined on Thursday (apr 16) after pleading guilty to 58 charges. The remaining 112 charges were taken into consideration during his sentencing.

He is among the first of 12 parallel car importers to be sentenced, following a massive crackdown by the Singapore Customs.

Elaborating on Toh's case, Singapore Customs said in a statement he was found to have under-declared the values of 234 cars between April and August 2007.

The cases of the others are ongoing.

Singapore Customs' crackdown has shaken the industry, which is known for under-declaring.

Read the full report in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.