The Supreme Court partially reversed the High Court’s judgment regarding Anim Damchoe’s tax evasion case. The court sentenced her to six and a half years in prison for evading tax. Earlier this year, the High Court handed her a nine-year imprisonment. She was found guilty of evading tax in relation to her cordyceps business, Lhaimetog Export and Import Enterprise. The judgment was passed on Wednesday.
According to the judgment, Anim Damchoe was found to have evaded tax for eight years from 2010 to 2017. She has also been asked to restitute over Nu 63 M to the government within six months.
The Supreme Court had partially reversed the High Court’s judgment stating that the lower court had applied the Penal Code (Amendment) Act of Bhutan 2021 and sentenced her to nine years. Whereas, the judgment stated that during the time of the commission of the crime, the Penal Code (Amendment) Act of Bhutan 2011 was in effect and so, the Supreme Court convicted her of a third-degree felony.
Similarly, the chief executive officer of the Lhaimetog Export and Import Enterprise, Younten Jamtsho, was sentenced to three years in prison for aiding and abetting Anim Damchoe in tax evasion. The High Court also sentenced him to three years earlier this year.
According to the judgment, he produced double books of accounts and made double invoices to hide business revenue and evade taxes.
The tax evasion case was registered with the Thimphu district court in 2021.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Tshering Zam
