Global Courant
S. Iswaran, Singapore’s Minister of Transport, leaves the Singapore State Courts in Singapore on Thursday, January 18, 2024. Iswaran was accused of corruption, the latest development in the biggest political scandal to hit the city-state in almost four decades. Photographer: Ore Huiying/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Singapore’s former Transport Minister S. Iswaran faced eight additional charges in court on Monday, bringing the total number of charges against him to 35.
The former minister returned from a… court-approved trip to Australia last week, after extending his trip due to a bout of illness.
In January, Iswaran was charged with 27 charges, including corruption. He pleaded not guilty to these charges. He also pleaded not guilty to the eight additional charges on Monday, according to local media.
The new costs are below Section 165 of the Singapore Penal Code, which relate to civil servants who accept valuables from others without or with insufficient consideration. Anyone convicted under this section may be fined or imprisoned for a term not exceeding two years, or both.
Consideration refers to something of value to which a party is not yet entitled, given to the party in exchange for contractual promises.
According to CNBC’s calculation of the latest charge sheets, Iswaran unlawfully obtained items worth 18,956.94 Singapore dollars, or $14,090.
They included accepting bottles of whiskey and wine, as well as golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle, from a person named Lum Kok Seng, according to the charge sheets.
A statement of Singapore’s anti-graft watchdog said the alleged offenses were committed between November 2021 and November 2022, and were related to Iswaran’s official position as Minister of Transport.
According to the January allegations, Iswaran was accused of obtaining tickets for the Singapore Grand Prix, football matches and shows in Britain, allegedly given by billionaire Ong Beng Seng.
According to CNBC’s calculations, Iswaran obtained 116 tickets for the Singapore Grand Prix between 2016 and 2022, worth 347,152.10 Singapore dollars ($258,388.78). Due to the pandemic, no racing events were held in 2020 and 2021.
Malaysian billionaire Ong is credited with bringing F1 to Singapore in 2008. In 2022, his private company Singapore GP and the Singapore Tourism Board. rights assuredto organize the Singapore Grand Prix until 2028.
Last July, Ong was arrested by Singapore’s anti-graft agency as part of its investigation into Iswaran.
