By Khushwant Singh
ONG Swee Lian drew up invoices purportedly from overseas suppliers and false payment vouchers to reduce the profits of her company by $1.8 million in 2002 and 2003.
The amount of tax evaded came up to nearly $403,760.
On Friday, Ong, 55, a director of Unicla Trading, pleaded guilty to two charges of tax evasion. She was jailed a month on each charge but the sentences were ordered to run together. The firm was fined a total of $18,000.
She and Unicla were also ordered to pay a penalty of $1.2 million each, which is three times the tax evaded.
A district court heard that Unicla trades in car air-conditioners and other automotive parts mostly imported from overseas.
Ong started evading tax in 2000. However, the two charges against Ong and Unicla for evading a total of $1.48 million in tax in 2001 and 2002 were compounded and withdrawn.
Ong could have been fined up to $10,000 and jailed up to three years on each tax evasion charges.
