Company director fined $48,000 for counterfeiting export documents

SINGAPORE - A company director was sentenced on October 2, 2013 to a fine of $48,000 or in default, 12 weeks' jail, for counterfeiting documents used by his company to export goods.

Harold Toh Thiam Luck, 46, pleaded guilty to four charges of counterfeiting certificates used by exporters to certify the country of origin of their goods.  Another nine charges were taken into consideration.

Toh, the director of Fukutomi Technologies Pte Ltd, is the first person to be prosecuted by Singapore Customs for committing such offences.

Singapore Customs' investigations revealed that between November 2008 and February 2011, Toh had counterfeited Certificates of Origin in relation to Fukutomi's exports with a fake "SINGAPORE MANUFACTURERS' FEDERATION" stamp.

The Singapore Manufacturing Federation is one of the five organisations in Singapore, besides Singapore Customs, authorised to issue Certificates of Origin to exporters.

The counterfeited certificates were fabricated so that the goods exported by Fukutomi Technologies Pte Ltd could gain easier access into the importing countries. The total value of the goods involved exceeded $300,000.

By counterfeiting the certificates, Toh had committed offences under the Regulation of Imports and Exports Regulations. Such offences undermine the reputation of Certificates of Origin issued in Singapore and the country's reputation as a trusted global trade hub.

Any person found guilty of counterfeiting, falsifying or using, when counterfeited or falsified, any permit, certificate or document granted or issued under these regulations may be fined up to $100,000 or three times the value of the goods in respect of which the offence was committed, whichever is greater, or be jailed up to two years, or both.

Repeat offenders may be fined up to $200,000 or four times the value of the goods in question, whichever is greater, or face a jail term of up to three years or both.

candicec@sph.com.sg