(Bloomberg) -- A Singapore court will sentence S. Iswaran on Thursday after the former transport minister pleaded guilty to bribery and obstruction of justice, marking a quick end to one of the biggest political scandals in decades. The 62-year-old pleaded guilty last week to four charges of obtaining valuable items as a public servant and one count of obstruction of justice.
The former politician initially vowed to defend himself over nearly three dozen counts including corruption, but the prosecution amended the charges on the first day. If Iswaran gets a prison term, he would become the first ex-minister in Singapore to be sentenced to jail since 1975. The prosecutors asked for a seven-month jail term, while his defense lawyers are seeking no more than eight weeks.
The court will also take into consideration the 30 other charges in sentencing. A swift conclusion to a trial that was expected to drag on for months may put to bed a scandal that has tested the wealthy island nation’s reputation for clean governance since the initial investigation came to light last year. It also clears the way for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong — who came to power in May — to lead the ruling People’s Action Party in a general election that must be held by November 2025.
The PAP has won every election since independence in 1965, and then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in August last year vowed that the handling of the Iswaran case would show the party is clean. “The PAP has taken a hit,.
