Singapore ex-minister Iswaran, sentenced to 12 months in jail in landmark ruling

The Star

Former Singapore transport minister S. Iswaran has been sentenced to 12 months’ jail on Thursday.  In his sentencing remarks, Justice Vincent Hoong said it was significant that Iswaran had made public statements rejecting the charges as false.  Read more at https://bit.ly/4dv0sz4  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00A Singapore court on Thursday sentenced a former transport minister to 12 months in

00:06jail in the first imprisonment of an ex-cabinet member in a city-state known for clean governance.

00:12S. Iswaran, who was a minister for 13 years, had pleaded guilty to four counts of receiving

00:17more than $300,000 worth of gifts and one of obstructing justice, after prosecutors

00:23went ahead with only five of the 35 charges.

00:26The court said Iswaran would be allowed to remain on bail for the next few days and begin

00:30his jail term on Monday, October 7.

00:33The case has gripped the wealthy city-state which prides itself on having a well-paid

00:37and efficient bureaucracy as well as strong governance.

00:41Iswaran joined the cabinet in 2006 and has held the trade, communications and transport

00:47portfolios.

00:48While serving as a Minister of State at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, he attended

00:53various events linked to the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix 2008 alongside property

00:57tycoon Ong Beng Seng, after Singapore won a five-year deal to host the race.

01:02While serving as a Second Minister at the Ministry of Home Affairs, in 2014, Iswaran

01:07presided at an event to officially open the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation Centre

01:13in Singapore.

01:15As Singapore's Minister of Transport in March 2022, Iswaran inspected Changi Airport to

01:21oversee its readiness ahead of the reopening of Singapore's borders to vaccinated travellers

01:26following the COVID-19 pandemic.

01:28Facing corruption charges, Iswaran sent his resignation letter to the then Prime Minister

01:33Lee Hsien Loong in January this year, in which he rejected the charges.

01:37Iswaran is alleged to have obtained kickbacks valued at S$384,341 or S$286,181 from Ong,

01:50partly to advance the property tycoon's business interests.

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