A court in the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region passed a seven-year jail term and heavy fines Monday on two local businesses and two individuals on charges of tax evasion.

Alimu Ahbudurimu was sentenced to seven years in jail for evading taxes worth 208,430 yuan (US$26,054) when he was legal representative of the Ahkeda Trading Company in Xinjiang's regional capital Urumqi between 2002 and 2004, said sources with the People's Court in Tianshan District of Urumqi.

He was also ordered to pay 500,000 yuan (US$62,500) of fines.

The Ahkeda Trading Company was ordered to pay some 15.3 million yuan (US$1.9 million) of fines for evading about 5 million yuan (US$611,000) of taxes between 1993 and 2000, when the company was led by Alimu's mother Rebiya Kadeer.

Alimu's brother Kahaer Ahbudurimu was also found guilty of evading nearly 2.5 million yuan (US$312,500) of taxes while operating the Rebiya Building on behalf of Alimu between 2000 and 2004, the court sources said.

The court ordered Kahaer should pay 100,000 yuan (US$12,500) of fines but exempted him of a jail term.

Meanwhile, the Urumqi-based Rebiya Building Co Ltd was fined 7.44 million yuan (US$931,000) for tax evasion.

(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2006)