{
  "id": 997971,
  "title": "3 people & S'pore firm allegedly faked origin of S$1.9 million of goods exported to US",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/3-people-spore-firm-allegedly-faked-origin-of-s-1-9-million-of-goods",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-14T18:59:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mothership",
    "slug": "mothership",
    "url": "https://mothership.sg/2026/08/singapore-firm-falesly-declare-goods/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Singapore-registered firm Healthy Living Biotech (Singapore) Pte Ltd and three individuals - Yin Yuxi, Xue Xin, and Bernard Koh Wee Yiap - have been charged with falsifying the origin of goods exported from Singapore to the United States, according to a Singapore Customs report. The charges stem from an alleged scheme to avoid U.S. import duties, involving bedding products and other goods worth approximately S$1.9 million. The investigation began in February 2026 after the discovery that mattresses exported from Singapore were incorrectly declared as Singapore-origin goods, when in fact they were produced in China. The scheme allegedly ran from August 2024 to September 2025. In addition to the false origin declarations, the company and two individuals were also charged with fraudulently evading GST on their imports, amounting to about S$111,000. False declarations or statements, including in cargo clearance permits, carry a fine of up to S$10,000 or up to two years' imprisonment, while incorrect trade descriptions can lead to penalties of up to S$100,000 or three times the value of the goods, with a possible two-year sentence. For fraudulent duty or GST evasion on imported goods, the penalty is up to 20 times the amount evaded, plus up to 12 months in jail. Court proceedings are currently ongoing.",
  "summary": "The mattresses were declared as Singapore-made, but were found to have come from China.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}