Singapore—Local singer and Instagram entrepreneur Nur Sarah Aqilah Sumathi (35) was fined for evading Goods and Services Tax (GST) for several luxury items she brought into Singapore from 2015 to 2017.
Singapore Customs released a statement on Thursday (Oct 10) saying that Nur Sarah failed to declare 141 pieces of branded luxury items during her overseas shopping trips.
The items were worth over S$205,980 and subject to GST. Nur Sarah evaded S$14,406 worth of GST on all the goods.
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Nur Sarah was convicted of two charges of fraudulent evasion of GST while five additional charges were considered during sentencing.
For her offences, she was fined S$30,600.
Locals may remember Nur Sarah as the winner of the Malay reality singing competition Anuregah in 2009.
Nur Sarah is also married to a real estate agent and is a mother to three young children.
She usually goes shopping in Europe to buy branded items then sells them through her Instagram account. In 2017, she offered “personal shopping” services to paying clients.
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When she was arrested in Jan 2018, Nur Sarah reportedly had to borrow S$80,000 from her sister to pay back the clients who did not receive the luxury items they had ordered and paid for which were presumably confiscated by customs officers.
According to a report by Today, Nur Sarah suffered “emotional and mental strain” from the hearings and has now “suffered setbacks” in booking media appearances. Her husband’s reputation as a real estate agent was also tarnished because of being “associated” with her.
Under the Singapore Customs Act, a person found guilty of fraudulent evasion of GST will be liable to a fine up to 20 times the amount of tax evaded and/or be jailed for up to two years./TISG