Director of imported vehicle company fined and sentenced to jail for fraud
A company director was fined S$1,068,000 and sentenced to two months’ jail by the Singapore State Courts for under-declaring the value of motor vehicles imported into the country.
59-year-old Singaporean Thiyambarawatta Subash Indrajith received his sentence on 24 April 2026, according to a joint media release by Singapore Customs and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on 5 May.
Subash is the director of Concordway, a company which imports motor vehicles from suppliers in Japan and the United Kingdom.
The company also helps individuals source and import vehicles from overseas suppliers through Subash’s contacts.
Company director declared supressed values to evade duty and GST
Subash under-declared the values of 34 motor vehicles imported into Singapore between Oct 2018 and Feb 2024.
Image adapted from Concordway Pte Ltd on Facebook. For illustration purposes only.
He pleaded guilty to nine charges — three charges for fraudulent evasion of duty, and six charges for abetment by intentionally aiding in the making of untrue declarations to fraudulently evade duty.
These evasions of duty amounted to about S$161,251.
Ten other charges were considered during sentencing. These included four charges for fraudulent evasion of Goods and Services Tax (GST), and six charges for abetment by intentionally aiding in the making of untrue declarations to fraudulently evade GST.
Subash has until 25 May 2026Â to pay the fine for his Customs offences, or his sentence will default to 12 months and two weeks’ imprisonment.
Company director under-declared value of vehicles during LTA registration
Subash was also sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for under-declaring the value of motor vehicles during registration with LTA.
This allowed him to pay less Additional Registration Fee (ARF).
He pleaded guilty to three amalgamated charges under section 11(9) of the Road Traffic Act (providing incorrect information) in relation to the value of 21 vehicles.
The court also considered three amalgamated charges involving another eight vehicles during sentencing.
Subash has to pay a total ARF shortfall of S$1,069,595 to the LTA.
Under-declared Porsche led to investigation
Singapore Customs began investigating the case after an individual who imported a Porsche 718 Cayman Style Edition submitted documents declaring a suspiciously low value.
Image courtesy of Porsche. For illustration purposes only.
Information from this importer led them to search Subash’s residence.
The director then admitted that he received commissions of S$3,000 to S$4,000 to liaise with overseas suppliers to provide invoices with values significantly lower than the actual vehicle prices.
Image courtesy of Felicia Manolache’s Images on Canva. For illustration purposes only.
These false invoices were submitted to Customs as supporting documents for their import.
To conceal the money trail, clients paid in two transactions: one that corresponds to the underdeclared value and a balance payment which completes the actual value of the vehicle.
Subash then remitted the balance payments to overseas supliers in lump sums to avoid detection.
Fraudulent evasion of duty or GST can result to up to two years’ jail
Under the Customs Act, anyone proven guilty of the fraudulent evasion of any duty or GST on imported goods shall be liable to a fine of up to 20 times the amount evaded and/or imprisonment for up to two years.
Meanwhile, the Road Traffic Act states that any person convicted of giving incorrect information in any matter affecting the amount of ARF shall be liable to a fine of up to S$10,000 or to an imprisonment term of up to six months.
The maximum penalty is also doubled for amalgamated charges, according to Section 124(8) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The court shall order the undercharged ARF be paid to the LTA.
The authorities urged members of the public with information on smuggling activities or duty or GST evasion to report it to Customs at https://go.gov.sg/reportcustomsoffence.
Also read: 56-year-old woman arrested & watches worth S$1M seized in IRAS raids over GST fraud
56-year-old woman arrested & watches worth S$1M seized in IRAS raids over GST fraud
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Featured image adapted from MS News, Sourav Mishra on Canva for illustration purposes only.
