Ex-minister pleads guilty in rare graft case in Singapore

Singapore's former Transport Minister Subramaniam Iswaran has pleaded guilty to receiving gifts while in office, local media reported, as proceedings began on Tuesday in a rare graft trial involving a state official in this Asian financial hub.

According to the BBC, Iswaran is the first political office-holder in Singapore to be tried in court in the past 50 years.

The case, which charges Iswaran with receiving favors that include 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.

  

Reuters

Subramaniam Iswaran, Singapore's former transport minister, arrives at the State Courts with his legal team, including Senior Counsel Davinder Singh (L), in Singapore, January 18, 2024

The 62-year-old was arrested in July last year and was accused of taking kickbacks worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from property tycoon Ong Beng Seng. Iswaran was advisor to the Grand Prix's steering committee, while Ong owns the rights to the race.

Ong has not been charged with any offence and Iswaran had previously rejected the allegations when he resigned from the cabinet.

In court, he pleaded guilty to the charges of obstructing justice and of a public servant accepting anything of value without payment, or with inadequate payment, from a person with whom he is involved in an official capacity, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported, instead of the charges that include corruption.

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 for 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 defense is asking for eight weeks, according to CNA.

The prosecution said Iswaran had obtained from two local businessmen with a total value of S$403,297.92 ($312,440). Iswaran has paid his financial gains of S$380,305.95 in full to the state, they added.

"The accused obtained all of the gifts for himself, some of which he then distributed to family, friends, and others," the prosecution said.

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.

Singapore was among the world's top five least corrupt countries last year, according to Transparency International's corruption perception index.

Who is Subramaniam Iswaran?

Subramaniam Iswaran is an Indian-origin Singaporean. He is a former transport minister and was previously part of the Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).

Iswaran was selected as an MP way back in 1997 and appointed to the cabinet in 2006. He gained popularity for his role in bringing the Formula One night race to the country in 2008.

Prior to being involved in legal troubles, he also served as Singapore’s minister-in-charge of trade relations.

He resigned from the party in January this year after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had asked him to go on leave.

This is the first ministerial corruption trial in Singapore in nearly half a century - reflecting the gravity of the situation Iswaran finds himself in.