Indian-origin former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran, convicted on September 24, 2024 for illegally accepting gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, was sentenced yesterday to 12 months in prison — a punishment much stiffer than the 7 months that the prosecution wanted. Businessman Ong Beng Seng has been charged today for giving those gifts. CNA quoted Justice Vincent Hoong as saying that he had considered the submissions from both prosecution and defence but that he was “ultimately unable to agree with both the positions taken” and decided to hand out a stiffer jail term to Iswaran.
The ex-minister was also penalised for one charge of obstruction of justice. “I’m of the view [that] it is appropriate to impose a sentence in excess of both parties’ positions,” said Justice Hoong, or else it would be a “manifestly inadequate sentence”. Iswaran had been arrested on July 11, 2023, and then he quit the ruling party on January 18, 2024 , vowing to clear his name.
He also stepped down as a Member of Parliament. By March 25, 2024, eight new charges were added to the corruption case against him. However, on September 24, the corruption charges against him were changed to lesser charges of obtaining gifts as a public servant.
The value of the gifts totalled more than SGD 400,000. Flight tickets, luxury hotel stays, Singapore F1 Grand Prix tickets, musical and football match tickets, a high-end bicycle, some golf clubs, bottles of expensive alcohol — th.
