Accomplice of GST fraud mastermind sentenced to six weeks' jail, more than 10 years a
SINGAPORE: A 46-year-old man was sentenced to six weeks' jail on Thursday (Aug 2) for evading more than S$30,000 in Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2005 and 2006.
He was also ordered to pay a penalty of more than S$92,000, three times the amount of tax undercharged, to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).
AdvertisementSng Kay Heng, the accomplice of mastermind Eric Chia Puay Yeoh's complex GST scam using multiple shell entities, was handed the sentence more than a decade after investigations first began in 2007.
Chia, who had three accomplices and defrauded the Government of almost S$1 million, was jailed for 15 months in 2014 and ordered to pay a penalty of more than S$1.2 million.
Sng was the sole proprietor of general wholesale trade firm Strikey Trading made false entries in GST returns for his company on three occasions in late 2005 and early 2006, resulting in the undercharging of tax by a total of S$30,806.61.
He had help from Chia in falsifying documents to make fraudulent claims in his GST returns for his business. Chia altered purchase and sale invoices originally issued to another company to reflect the name of Strikey Trading.
AdvertisementAdvertisementInvestigations revealed that the suppliers reflected in the invoices did not make any sales to the company.
PROSECUTION ASKED FOR 14 WEEKS' JAIL
IRAS senior tax prosecutor Patrick Nai asked for Sng to be jailed for at least 14 weeks, saying that there was significant public interest in ensuring that those who deliberately evade tax are dealt with severely.
"If not for the IRAS investigation officers' efforts to uncover the offence, the accused would have cheated the tax authorities, a government institution, of S$30,806.61," he said.
He added that Sng was "often quick to push the blame to his accomplice Chia" throughout the trial and "did not show any remorse".
However, Sng's lawyer asked for a one day jail sentence, saying that his client had cooperated with IRAS and the authorities by attending all interviews from 2007.
He added that there has been a delay of 12 to 13 years from the commission of the offences, and said that this delay "is inordinate and unfair to Sng".
Sng, who now works as a part-time taxi driver, has been "gripped by anxiety for 12 to 13 years", said the defence.
"His social life was affected. His friends left him when he told them about the investigations, and his girlfriend left him," he said.
"This court cannot ignore that there has been such a delay," said the defence. "This has to be one of the longest cases in which there is prosecution."
In handing down the six weeks' jail sentence, magistrate Yan Jiakang said that even though Sng had stayed out of trouble, there had been no evidence of rehabilitation.
Sng's lawyer said his client intends to appeal the sentence.
For evading GST, Sng could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined up to S$10,000, on top of a penalty of up to three times the tax undercharged.
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SINGAPORE: A 46-year-old man was sentenced to six weeks' jail on Thursday (Aug 2) for evading more than S$30,000 in Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2005 and 2006.
He was also ordered to pay a penalty of more than S$92,000, three times the amount of tax undercharged, to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).
AdvertisementSng Kay Heng, the accomplice of mastermind Eric Chia Puay Yeoh's complex GST scam using multiple shell entities, was handed the sentence more than a decade after investigations first began in 2007.
Chia, who had three accomplices and defrauded the Government of almost S$1 million, was jailed for 15 months in 2014 and ordered to pay a penalty of more than S$1.2 million.
Sng was the sole proprietor of general wholesale trade firm Strikey Trading made false entries in GST returns for his company on three occasions in late 2005 and early 2006, resulting in the undercharging of tax by a total of S$30,806.61.
He had help from Chia in falsifying documents to make fraudulent claims in his GST returns for his business. Chia altered purchase and sale invoices originally issued to another company to reflect the name of Strikey Trading.
AdvertisementAdvertisementInvestigations revealed that the suppliers reflected in the invoices did not make any sales to the company.
PROSECUTION ASKED FOR 14 WEEKS' JAIL
IRAS senior tax prosecutor Patrick Nai asked for Sng to be jailed for at least 14 weeks, saying that there was significant public interest in ensuring that those who deliberately evade tax are dealt with severely.
"If not for the IRAS investigation officers' efforts to uncover the offence, the accused would have cheated the tax authorities, a government institution, of S$30,806.61," he said.
He added that Sng was "often quick to push the blame to his accomplice Chia" throughout the trial and "did not show any remorse".
However, Sng's lawyer asked for a one day jail sentence, saying that his client had cooperated with IRAS and the authorities by attending all interviews from 2007.
He added that there has been a delay of 12 to 13 years from the commission of the offences, and said that this delay "is inordinate and unfair to Sng".
Sng, who now works as a part-time taxi driver, has been "gripped by anxiety for 12 to 13 years", said the defence.
"His social life was affected. His friends left him when he told them about the investigations, and his girlfriend left him," he said.
"This court cannot ignore that there has been such a delay," said the defence. "This has to be one of the longest cases in which there is prosecution."
In handing down the six weeks' jail sentence, magistrate Yan Jiakang said that even though Sng had stayed out of trouble, there had been no evidence of rehabilitation.
Sng's lawyer said his client intends to appeal the sentence.
For evading GST, Sng could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined up to S$10,000, on top of a penalty of up to three times the tax undercharged.
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