Two men fined more than S$3.34 million each for evading tax on over 4.5 million litres of diesel from Malaysia

SINGAPORE: Two Singaporean men were fined S$3.34 million (US$2.61 million) each for their roles in a scheme to import more than 4.5 million litres of automotive diesel from Malaysia into Singapore without the required declarations.

The scheme resulted in the evasion of duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST), Singapore Customs said on Tuesday (Oct 6).

Chua E Hong, 51, and Ng Leok Kwee, 48, each pleaded guilty to three charges of fraudulently evading duty under the Customs Act.

The charges involved 4,527,099 litres of automotive diesel oil imported between April and December 2024, with about S$905,419 in duty evaded.

Another 16 charges were taken into consideration during the two men's sentencing. These comprised six charges for fraudulent evasion of duty and 10 charges for fraudulent evasion of GST.

The duty and GST evaded in these charges amounted to about S$2.5 million, Singapore Customs said.

At the time of the offences, Chua was managing director and Ng was executive director of both CNC Petroleum and PS Energy, sister companies under the PS Energy Group engaged in last-mile fuel distribution in Singapore.

Chua oversaw the finance and sales functions of the two companies, while Ng was responsible for operational matters.

The pair devised a scheme in early 2024 to source cheaper diesel from Malaysia and import it into Singapore without declaring the imports or obtaining the required permits.

The duty-unpaid diesel was then resold to customers in Singapore to increase CNC's profits, Singapore Customs said.

Acting on information received, Singapore Customs investigated and uncovered the scheme.

CNC purchased the diesel from suppliers' terminals in Pengerang, Johor. A vessel collected the diesel and transported it into Singapore’s territorial waters. 

At Selat Pauh Petroleum Anchorage, the diesel was transferred to two smaller vessels on multiple occasions before being transported to Penjuru Terminal.

It was then transferred to tanker trucks for distribution to customers in Singapore.

Ng coordinated the scheduling of the vessels and tanker trucks, as well as the collection and transfer of the diesel, Singapore Customs said.

Under the Customs Act, those convicted of fraudulently evading duty or GST can be fined up to 20 times the amount evaded. Offenders may also be jailed for up to 12 months.

"Singapore Customs remains committed to upholding strict compliance with customs regulations and protecting revenue," it said.