Former Singapore Minister Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison

AFP/APP

Singapore: A former Singaporean minister was sentenced to 12 months in prison on Thursday for obstruction of justice and accepting illegal gifts, marking the city-state’s first political graft trial in nearly half a century.

Iswaran, the ex-transport minister known for his role in bringing Formula One to Singapore, faced 35 charges primarily related to corruption in a country often cited as one of the least corrupt in the world.

However, prosecutors proceeded with only five lesser charges, including some involving a billionaire property tycoon.

Following his conviction last week, prosecutors had requested a sentence of six to seven months, while Iswaran’s defense team argued for a maximum sentence of just eight weeks.

Observers have deemed this trial one of the most politically significant in Singapore’s history, with potential repercussions for the ruling People’s Action Party ahead of general elections expected by November next year.

Iswaran resigned in January after being formally notified of the charges, which include accepting gifts worth over $300,000. In his resignation letter, he stated his intention to clear his name in court. He has since repaid approximately $295,000 in financial gain to the government, and gifts—including a Brompton bicycle—were seized by the attorney general’s office.

The charges against Iswaran include obstruction of justice related to efforts to hinder investigations into a business class flight sponsored by Malaysian hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng, one of Singapore’s wealthiest residents.

The remaining charges involve the receipt of gifts from Ong, the managing director of Hotel Properties Limited, and a senior director at a construction company, including whiskey bottles and golf clubs. Notably, neither businessman has faced any penalties.

Most of the charges against Iswaran were filed under a rarely invoked criminal law prohibiting public servants from accepting valuable items from individuals they officially engage with.

In response to Iswaran’s resignation, former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stated that he had pledged to return any money received as part of Iswaran’s salary and allowances since his arrest. Singapore’s cabinet ministers are compensated with salaries comparable to top private sector earners as a deterrent against corruption.