Singapore’s former transport minister pleads guilty to graft charges

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Singapore’s former transport minister has pleaded guilty to charges of obtaining gifts as a public servant and obstruction of justice, in a rare graft case in the city-state that prides itself on transparency and clean governance

S Iswaran, who was instrumental in bringing the Formula One Grand Prix to Singapore as transport minister, had initially denied any wrongdoing and vowed to clear his name after he was slapped with 35 charges this year.

But in an unexpected move on Tuesday, prosecutors amended the charges at the start of his trial to just five, and Iswaran pleaded guilty to all of them.

The amended charges include four counts of obtaining valuable items and one of obstruction of justice. The remaining 30 charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing, prosecutors said.

Iswaran, 62, is accused of obtaining gifts with a total value of S$403,297.92 (US$312,494.20) from two local businessmen during his tenure as minister. 

Prosecutors have sought a jail term of six to seven months. Iswaran’s lawyers are asking for no more than eight weeks, according to Singaporean media Channel News Asia and the Straits Times.  

The corruption case against Iswaran is the first involving a Singaporean minister since 1986. Singapore prides itself on being one of the world’s least corrupt countries, and its ministers are among the highest paid — earning about S$1mn a year — in part to discourage corruption.

The case comes at a sensitive time for the ruling People’s Action party, which has ruled Singapore since independence in 1965.

Lawrence Wong was sworn in as Singapore’s fourth prime minister in May, becoming only the city-state’s second leader from outside the founding Lee family.

The Asian financial hub is set to hold elections in 2025, and while the PAP is expected to win again, its reputation has taken a hit from a recent series of scandals, including the corruption allegations against Iswaran.

Iswaran resigned this year after he was charged by authorities. He has said he will return his salary and allowances received since the beginning of the investigation in July last year.

According to a January charge sheet seen by the Financial Times, the kickbacks allegedly included tickets to English Premier League football matches, Formula One races and plays including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hamilton and Kinky Boots, as well as a business class flight from Doha to Singapore in 2022.

Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau has said Iswaran received some of the alleged bribes from Ong Beng Seng, one of the city-state’s most high-profile property tycoons, for “advancing (his) business interests”.

Ong has not been charged. He is the founder of Hotel Properties, which has brands such as the Four Seasons and InterContinental in its property portfolio.

The company has previously said Ong is providing details of his dealings with Iswaran to the watchdog.