Iswaran Guilty: Ex-Minister Admits to Receiving S$400,000 in Gifts from Tycoon

SINGAPORE: Former transport minister S Iswaran pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Sep 24) to multiple charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, following months of asserting he would contest the case. Iswaran, 62, admitted to four charges for accepting valuable gifts while serving as a public servant and one charge of obstruction of justice. An additional 30 charges will be considered during sentencing.

The items in question included theatre and sports tickets, whisky, international flights, and a hotel stay, amounting to over S$400,000. Iswaran’s plea came after the prosecution replaced two corruption charges with lesser offenses under Section 165, which prohibits public servants from receiving valuable items from those involved with them in an official capacity.

Iswaran’s lawyer, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, confirmed that his client would plead guilty in light of the amended charges. The prosecution is seeking a prison sentence of six to seven months, while the defense is requesting no more than eight weeks if imprisonment is deemed necessary.

The charges relate to Iswaran’s dealings with property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, who provided him with tickets to the 2022 Singapore F1 Grand Prix and a luxury trip to Qatar. These transactions were linked to Iswaran’s role as chairman of the F1 Steering Committee.

This case marks the first use of Section 165 since Singapore’s independence, a significant legal milestone for the country.