14th August 2026 – (Singapore) Three people and a Singapore‑registered company were charged in court over an alleged operation to misdeclare the origin of mattresses exported to the United States, after investigators found products manufactured in China had been stamped “Made in Singapore”. Those charged are Singapore permanent resident Yin Yuxi, 28, Chinese national Xue Xin, 37, Singaporean Bernard Koh Wee Yiap, 54, and Healthy Living Biotech. The charges include making false declarations and statements and applying incorrect trade descriptions. Healthy Living Biotech, Yin and Koh also face counts linked to the fraudulent evasion of Goods and Services Tax on the company’s imports. 14th August 2026, 5.30pm — Singapore Customs said it opened investigations in February 2026 into shipments that had been declared as Singapore‑origin but were in fact made in China. The alleged arrangement is said to have run from August 2024 to September 2025 and to involve goods valued at about S$1.9 million (US$1.5 million). In a related line of inquiry, officers uncovered an alleged attempt to under‑declare the value of imports, thereby evading roughly S$111,000 in GST.
The development follows a White House report a day earlier identifying Singapore among more than 40 trading partners that could be used to circumvent United States tariffs on Chinese goods through illegal transshipment. The report said Washington would work with US Customs and Border Protection to deploy artificial intelligence to detect such activity by analysing shipment data and routing histories.
Singapore Customs stressed it takes a serious view of falsified trade declarations and misuse of Certificates of Origin, warning that such conduct undermines the integrity of trade documentation and risks damaging Singapore’s reputation as a trusted global hub. On conviction for making false declarations or statements under the Regulation of Imports and Exports Act 1995, offenders face a fine of up to S$10,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both. Causing incorrect trade descriptions to be applied to exports or making a false statement when applying for Certificates of Origin carries penalties of up to S$100,000 or three times the value of the goods involved, whichever is higher, and up to two years’ jail, or both. Fraudulent evasion of duty or GST is punishable by up to 12 months’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded.