Ex-Minister Iswaran Pleads Guilty in Graft Case that has Gripped Singapore

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's former Transport Minister S. Iswaran has pleaded guilty to receiving gifts while in office, local media reported, as proceedings began on Tuesday 24 September 2024 in a rare graft trial involving a state official in this Asian financial hub.

The case, which charges Iswaran with receiving favours that includes tickets to English Premier League football matches and to the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, has gripped the wealthy city-state which prides itself on having a well-paid and efficient bureaucracy as well as strong governance.

Iswaran, who joined the cabinet in 2006, is the first Singaporean minister to be tried in court.

The 62-year-old was arrested in July last year and was accused of taking kickbacks worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from property tycoon Ong Beng Seng. Iswaran was advisor to the Grand Prix's steering committee, while Ong owns the rights to the race.

Ong has not been charged with any offence and Iswaran had previously rejected the allegations when he resigned from the cabinet.

In court, he pleaded guilty to the charges of obstructing justice and of a public servant accepting anything of value without payment, or with inadequate payment, from a person with whom he is involved in an official capacity, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported, instead of the charges that include corruption.

In a surprise move, prosecutors reduced the charges facing Iswaran to five from 35. The remaining 30 charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing, it added.

The charge of accepting gifts carries a jail term of up to two years and a fine. For obstructing justice, Iswaran can be sentenced to jail of up to seven years and a fine.

However, the prosecution asked for a much lighter sentence of six to seven months in jail, while the defence is asking for eight weeks, according to CNA.

The prosecution said Iswaran had obtained from two local businessmen with a total value of S$403,297.92 (USD $312,440). Iswaran has paid his financial gains of S$380,305.95 in full to the state, they added.

"The accused obtained all of the gifts for himself, some of which he then distributed to family, friends and others," the prosecution said.

The last corruption case involving a Singaporean minister was in 1986, when the national development minister was investigated for allegedly accepting bribes. He died before he could be charged in court.

Singapore was among the world's top 5 least corrupt countries last year, according to Transparency International's corruption perception index.