South Auckland couple sentenced for $560,000 tax evasion
Wednesday 7 October 2026 · 2 outlets · 2 reports · updated In this story Inland Revenue
Ruta and Sili Ah Ching were sentenced in Manukau District Court for 14 counts of deliberate tax evasion. Ruta Ah Ching received nine months of home detention, while Sili Ah Ching was given six months of community detention. The couple must also pay Inland Revenue $1,000 per month for five years.
Key facts
6 facts
- Ruta and Sili Ah Ching were sentenced for 14 counts of tax evasion.
- Total tax evaded was $560,843.02.
- The couple must pay $1,000 monthly in reparation for five years.
- The evasion occurred over approximately eight years.
- The companies involved were S H S Property Renovation Ltd and S H R Property Renovations Ltd.
- The companies were struck off the Companies Register in 2021 and 2023.
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
Ruta and Sili Ah Ching have been sentenced in the Manukau District Court for tax evasion totalling $560,843.02. Ruta Ah Ching received nine months of home detention, while Sili Ah Ching was sentenced to six months of community detention and 160 hours of community work.
The couple was ordered to pay $1,000 a month in reparation for the next five years, amounting to $65,000. The court found the evasion was a "sustained and deliberate course of conduct by both Mr and Mrs Ah Ching over a period of some eight years".
The pair operated two companies, S H S Property Renovation Ltd and S H R Property Renovations Ltd, which were established in October 2015 and November 2021 respectively. Both companies were struck off the Companies Register for failing to file returns in 2021 and 2023.
Inland Revenue stated the couple continued to trade under these names and made an estimated $1.8 million in taxable profit over nine years. Business receipts were often deposited into Ruta Ah Ching's personal account or accounts where she was a joint signatory.
Judge Andree Wiltens noted that diverting income through multiple accounts created "deliberate obfuscation which prevented IRD properly assessing the tax due". The judge added that attempts by Inland Revenue to clarify the situation were met with "zero co-operation and compliance".
Compiled from reports by NZ Herald and 1News.
