Former Singapore Transport Minister Sentenced To 12 Months' Jail

SINGAPORE, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Former Singapore Transport Minister S. Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment by the High Court here on Thursday after pleading guilty last week to four charges of obtaining valuable items as a public servant and one count of obstruction of justice.

Justice Vincent Hoong, when handing down the sentence, said that he was unable to agree with the positions of both the defence and prosecution.

The prosecution, led by Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong, sought a prison sentence of six to seven months, while the defence, led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, requested no more than eight weeks.

"I am of the view that it is appropriate to impose a sentence in excess of both parties' positions. Adopting either of the parties' respective submissions would result in a manifestly inadequate sentence," he said.

The judge agreed to Iswaran's defence request for the accused to surrender himself to the court on Oct 7 for the start of the sentence, subject to any applications.

Bail is extended on current terms and conditions.

Justice Hoong in his judgement said that the swift denunciation of offences under Section 165 of the Penal Code is necessary to deter the acquisition or cultivation of the patronage, loyalty, or goodwill of public servants by valuables for the perceived benefits of persons with dealings connected to the official capacities of public servants.

Hoong said the accused abused his position by obtaining gifts from businessman Ong Beng Seng despite knowing that he was involved in business transactions closely connected to the accused’s official duties.

He said at that time, the accused was Chairman of the F1 Steering Committee, which was tasked with resolving high-level policy and implementation issues and synergising efforts between government agencies and Singapore GP Pte Ltd (SGP), while Ong was the beneficial owner of more than 90 per cent of the shares in SGP.

Hoong said the accused’s culpability was heightened by the critical role he assumed as a minister.

“Even if there was no evidence that the accused had exercised his influence over the connected business transactions, namely, the Singapore F1 Contracts and the T315 Contract, the accused’s culpability cannot be considered low given his experience and standing as a minister,” he said.

Iswaran, wearing a dark-coloured suit, declined to comment when approached by reporters outside the court.

On Sept 24, Iswaran pleaded guilty and was convicted of the five charges -- four for obtaining valuable items without consideration from two businessmen, Ong, and Lum Kok Seng, under Section 165 of the Penal Code, and one charge for obstruction of justice under Section 204A (a) of the Penal Code.

He initially faced 35 charges including two under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).

The prosecution informed the court on the first day of the trial that it would proceed with the five charges, while the PCA charges were replaced with two charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code.

Another 30 charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Iswaran was accused of obtaining valuable gifts amounting to S$403,297.92, including 10 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix tickets, a business flight ticket, and hotel accommodation in Doha.

The obstruction of justice charge relates to the S$5,700 Iswaran repaid to SGP for the cost of his business-class flight ticket from Doha to Singapore that he took in 2022, at Ong’s expense.

Various items, including wine and whisky, golf clubs, and a Brompton T-Line bicycle worth a total of S$17,291.97, were seized and later forfeited to the state.

He also disgorged S$380,305.95 to the state, representing the value of the gifts he consumed.

Iswaran is the first political office-holder in Singapore to be sentenced in court in nearly five decades, making this one of the most high-profile cases in the island republic.

The sentencing also sets a precedent for Section 165 of the Penal Code, as there appear to be no reported cases in the country.

The Penal Code penalises public servants for obtaining any valuable thing, without consideration, from a person concerned in any proceeding or business transacted by them.

--BERNAMA