Car-leasing director jailed for almost 5 years over evasion of S$11.1 million in duties, taxes
Mah Chee Wern did not pay S$1.2 million in duty and GST on 866 vehicles
Karkaunsl Leasing director Mah Chee Wern was sentenced to four years and seven months in jail on September 30, 2025, for evading duty, GST, and underpaying the additional registration fee, totaling S$11.1 million. The Singapore Customs and Land Transport Authority announced the joint statement. Mah, 48, pleaded guilty to 18 charges under the Customs Act, 17 of fraudulent duty and GST evasion, and one for falsifying payment slips.
Another 48 charges were considered for sentencing. Customs discovered discrepancies in declared vehicle costs, revealing a two-pronged scheme: instructing overseas suppliers to issue low-value invoices to maximize profit and acting as an import agent for another company, Hybrid Vehicles Singapore (HVS). HVS's 36-year-old former director, Su May Thu, was fined S$418,300 for similar fraud in July 2025.
Mah was also sentenced to 21 weeks for under-declaring car values at registration, resulting in S$9.9 million in underpaid ARF, which he must repay to the Land Transport Authority.
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