Previous cabinet minister in Singapore pleads guilty to getting unlawful gifts
Date
9/24/2024 5:03:19 AM
(MENAFN) A former cabinet Minister in Singapore has pleaded guilty to charges related to receiving illegal gifts, marking the first ministerial criminal trial in the city-state in nearly fifty years. S. Iswaran, who previously served as Transport Minister, entered a guilty plea on one count of obstructing justice and four counts of accepting gifts from individuals with whom he had official dealings. The gifts, which included tickets to the Singapore Formula 1 race, wine and whisky, golf clubs, and a luxury Brompton bike, were valued at a total of 403,000 Singapore dollars (approximately USD312,000) and were given to him by two businessmen involved in government transactions.
At the beginning of the trial, prosecutors revealed that they would pursue only five charges out of the original thirty-five counts against Iswaran, opting to downgrade two counts of bribery to receiving illegal gifts. They indicated that the remaining thirty charges would be considered during sentencing, although no specific reasons were provided for this decision. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of six to seven months, with Deputy Attorney General Tai Wei Shyong emphasizing that failing to penalize such misconduct would imply that it is acceptable behavior.
In response, Iswaran's defense attorney, Davinder Singh, requested that any sentence be limited to no more than eight weeks. Singh argued that Iswaran had no ulterior motive for accepting the gifts other than personal friendship with the businessmen involved and acknowledged the wrongdoing after the graft charges were dropped. He further claimed there was no evidence to suggest that the integrity or impartiality of the government had been compromised. The court is expected to announce its sentencing later on Tuesday.
Singaporean ministers are among the highest-paid in the world, and while the amounts involved in Iswaran’s case may seem relatively minor, his indictment poses a significant embarrassment to the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), which prides itself on maintaining a clean image. The last cabinet minister to face corruption charges was Wee Toon Boon, who was convicted in 1975 for accepting gifts in exchange for facilitating business dealings. Additionally, another minister was investigated for graft in 1986 but passed away before any charges could be filed. Iswaran had resigned shortly before the charges were brought against him, and his trial comes just months after Singapore appointed a new Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, following Lee Hsien Loong's two-decade tenure.
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