Singapore’s former Transport Minister, S. Iswaran, who was sentenced to 12 months in prison following a high-profile corruption trial, has been allowed to complete the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Iswaran, who pleaded guilty to accepting gifts worth over S$403,000 ($300,000; £240,000) and obstructing justice, was originally jailed on October 7. His case drew significant attention in Singapore, where corruption cases involving public officials are rare, given the nation’s reputation for clean governance.
On Friday, the Singapore Prison Service confirmed that Iswaran had been transferred to home detention, following an assessment of his prison conduct and response to rehabilitation efforts.
According to Authorities, he was deemed “low risk of re-offending,” had not committed any offenses while in prison, and had strong family support.
While under house arrest, Iswaran will be required to wear an electronic monitoring tag and report to prison authorities for counseling. Local media reported that he was seen having a meal at home on Friday.
His 12-month sentence was longer than the sentence sought by both his defense team and prosecutors during his trial.
In October, the judge highlighted the heightened responsibility of public officials, stating that Iswaran’s actions reflected “greater culpability in abusing his position for personal gain.”
Iswaran is the first political officeholder in Singapore to be tried for corruption in the last 50 years. The last corruption investigation involving a minister was in 1986, when Development Minister Teh Cheang Wan was investigated for bribery and later took his own life before facing charges.
