The Meerut Court has rejected bail plea of Chinese National, Alice Lee, also known as Lee Tangli accused in Rs. 9 crore tax evasion case.
A bail application was submitted on behalf of accused Alice Lee, also known as Lee Tangli, stating that she is innocent and has been implicated in this case due to a personal grudge. She has not committed any tax evasion. She has not been served a notice under Section 41A of the CrPC. She has no criminal history and is not a habitual offender.
The investigating officer has not submitted her appointment letter, nor has she cited the hawala case that the prosecution alleged during its arguments. The accused has cooperated with the investigation. Section 132 of the CGST Act carries a sentence of up to five years. She has cooperated with the investigation. She has been incarcerated since August 27, 2025, and has a three-year-old child whose care she is responsible for.
On behalf of the accused, a request was made for release on bail in compliance with the order passed by the Supreme Court in the case of Arnesh Kumar, (1977) 4 Supreme Court Cases 308 State of Rajasthan, Jaipur vs. Balchand alias Bale and (2020) 13 Hon’ble Supreme Court Cases 791 P. Chidambaram vs. ED.
Opposing the bail, the SPP Lakshay Kumar Singh said that the accused was working in the company. The investigating officer has presented photographs of the accused working in the company. Nivedita has presented a photocopy of the appointment letter of the accused. It has come to light in the evidence of the witnesses that the accused was working in the company. Tax evasion of about Rs. 9 crores has been done by the accused. The accused has committed a serious crime and has harmed the economy of the country. The accused is a habitual criminal. The prosecution said that considering the gravity of the crime of the accused, the bail application of the accused should be rejected.
The accused is accused of conspiring with a co-accused to evade taxes of approximately ₹5 crore (approximately $50 million) while working for the company. The accused, a woman, was receiving cash under the direction of other directors, Li Hu and Teng Ai. Instead of generating bills at the actual price, invoices were generated at lower prices, with the remaining funds being received by the accused.
The accused is a foreign woman and the possibility of her fleeing the country cannot be ruled out. She was actively involved in the firm’s purchases and sales. The accused benefited from the collection of approximately Rs. 9 crore (approximately $90 million) in cash.
The bail of co-accused Vinay Kumar has previously been rejected by this court on merits. The possibility of the accused tampering with evidence after being released on bail cannot be ruled out. Thus, the accused has committed a serious economic crime, harming the Indian economy. The crimes committed by the accused are of a serious nature.
The court noted that it is a non-bailable offence. Considering the gravity of the crime, it does not seem justified to release the accused on bail.
Order
The court rejected the bail application filed on behalf of accused Alice Lee alias Lee Tangli.
