A former Singaporean Cabinet minister was sentenced to a year in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to charges of accepting illegal gifts, marking a rare criminal prosecution involving a government official in the city-state.
The former Transport Minister, S. Iswaran, had previously entered a guilty plea to one count of obstructing justice and four counts related to the acceptance of gifts from individuals with whom he had official dealings.
This case is particularly significant, as Iswaran is the first minister to face charges and imprisonment in nearly 50 years.
In his ruling, Justice Vincent Hoong emphasized the importance of maintaining the integrity of high office holders, stating that they “must be expected to avoid any perception that they are susceptible to influence by pecuniary benefits.”
He expressed that the circumstances warranted a sentence that exceeded the recommendations of both the defense and the prosecution, ultimately imposing a total of 12 months in prison for the five charges.
The defense had requested a sentence of no more than eight weeks, while the prosecution sought a term of six to seven months.
The court granted Iswaran’s request to delay the start of his sentence until Monday, allowing him to remain free on bail for the time being. It remains uncertain whether he plans to appeal the decision.
Originally, Iswaran faced 35 charges; however, prosecutors narrowed this down to five.
They opted to reduce two charges of corruption to the acceptance of illegal gifts. The remaining 30 charges are expected to be taken into consideration during sentencing, although no explanation has been provided for this decision.
The gifts that Iswaran accepted amounted to over 74,000 Singapore dollars (approximately $57,000) and were reportedly from Ong Beng Seng, a prominent property tycoon based in Singapore, and business figure Lum Kok Seng.
Among the gifts were tickets to Singapore’s renowned Formula 1 race, fine wines, whisky, and a luxury Brompton bicycle. Notably, Ong owns the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix, and Iswaran served as the chair and later an adviser to the Grand Prix’s steering committee.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers indicated that a decision on whether to charge Ong and Lum will be made once the proceedings against Iswaran conclude.
Despite the relatively minor financial figures involved, the indictment has become an embarrassment for the ruling People’s Action Party which has built its reputation on a clean governance image.
According to Transparency International’s corruption perception index, Singapore ranks among the top five least-corrupt nations in the world.
The last Cabinet minister to face corruption charges was Wee Toon Boon, who was convicted in 1975 and sentenced to jail for accepting bribes in exchange for facilitating business dealings.
Another minister was investigated for graft in 1986 but died before any charges were filed. Iswaran’s legal troubles began shortly after he resigned from his ministerial position, just prior to being formally charged.
His trial comes in the wake of a significant political transition, occurring just over four months after the appointment of new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, following the lengthy tenure of Lee Hsien Loong, who served for 20 years.
