Singapore’s Ex-Transport Minister Hit With 8 New Corruption Charges

Singapore’s former Transport Minister S Iswaran has been slapped with eight new charges in a rare corruption case involving the city-state’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), Al Jazeera reported.


The charges relate to allegations that Iswaran obtained valuable goods worth about 18,956 Singapore dollars ($14,077) from an individual who had business dealings with the Transport Ministry. I Photo: ZKang12 Wikimedia Commons

The charges relate to allegations that Iswaran obtained valuable goods worth about 18,956 Singapore dollars ($14,077) from an individual who had business dealings with the Transport Ministry, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a statement.

“Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption,” the CPIB said.

“Any person who is convicted under section 165 of the Penal Code can be fined or sentenced to imprisonment of up to two years or both.”
 The alleged gifts received by Iswaran include whiskey, golf clubs, and a Brompton bicycle, local media reported.

The charges come after Iswaran was in January charged with 27 corruption offenses, most of them related to his alleged receipt of gifts from Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng, a friend of Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Ong, who played a key role in bringing the Singapore Grand Prix to the city-state in 2008 while Iswaran was in government, is alleged to have given the former minister tickets to West End shows and football matches in exchange for advancing his business interests.


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