Singapore’s former Transport Minister S. Iswaran has pleaded guilty to receiving gifts while in office, as proceedings began on Tuesday in the first graft trial involving a minister in this Asian financial hub.
The case, which charges Iswaran with receiving favours that includes tickets to English Premier League soccer 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 on graft charges.
The 62-year-old admitted to four charges of breaching Section 165 of the Penal Code, which forbids public servants from obtaining anything valuable from someone involved with them in an official capacity, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.
He was initially charged with 35 offences. Those charges were expected to be taken into account for sentencing.
Iswaran, best known in Singapore for bringing the Formula One (F1) night race to the city-state, was the first political officeholder in Singapore in almost four decades to face trial for corruption.
The father of three was accused of accepting more than 400,000 Singapore dollars ($306,000) in gifts from two businessmen: property tycoon and hotelier Ong Beng Seng, who was also instrumental in securing the F1 race, and Lum Kok Seng, a man with strong ties to grassroots organisations in Iswaran’s former electoral ward.
The gifts included tickets to West End shows, flights, bottles of whisky, English Premier League match tickets and a Brompton bicycle that Iswaran was given for his birthday.
Neither Ong nor Lum have been charged with any offence.
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 7 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, adding that Iswaran will be sentenced on Oct 3.
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.
Civil servants and political officeholders are prohibited from accepting gifts valued above 50 Singapore dollars ($38) in the course of their duties.
Singapore was ranked the world’s fifth least corrupt country in 2023 by Transparency International.
The last corruption investigation involving a minister was in 1986, when former Minister for National Development Teh Cheang Wan was accused of accepting 1 million Singapore dollars ($775,000) in bribes. Teh took his own life before investigations could be completed.
Singapore’s government ministers are among the world’s highest paid politicians, with starting salaries set at 46,750 Singapore dollars ($36,250) a month.
The government argues such enormous pay cheques are necessary to stave off the risk of corruption.
Iswaran’s trial was initially scheduled to start earlier this month but was delayed until September 24.
His legal team was led by Davinder Singh, a senior counsel and former lawmaker with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). Hearings were due to continue until September 27 with the prosecution listing 56 witnesses, including Iswaran’s wife.
