Singapore: Singapore’s former transport minister will appear in court on Tuesday to begin his first political trial in more than four decades, which has hit a nation often cited as one of the world’s least corrupt. S Iswaran, known for helping make Formula 1 a financial powerhouse, resigned in January after being hit with dozens of allegations in a corruption probe, including accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts.
It comes in a process that observers see as one of the most politically significant in the city-state’s history and risks damaging the reputation of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) ahead of general elections due late next year. Iswaran resigned from the party after receiving formal notice of the allegations against him, but denied them.
Most of the 35 charges brought against the 62-year-old are related to corruption – the state procurement charge carries up to seven years in prison, but he also faces one count of obstruction of justice.
Among other charges, he is accused of accepting gifts from two businessmen worth more than $300,000. These included tickets to high-profile sporting events and theater performances by Malaysian hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng, one of Singapore’s richest men. Ong, the managing director of Hotel Properties Limited, was arrested on the same day as Iswaran in 2023 but has not faced any punishment since.
The transport minister is also accused of taking bottles of whiskey and golf clubs from the chief executive of a construction company, who was not accused of any wrongdoing. Most of the charges against Iswaran were brought against a rarely used criminal law that makes it a crime for government employees to accept items of value from those with whom they do official business.
Iswaran’s lawyers say the businessmen are his close friends and he could accept the donations personally. The former minister denies the allegations and claimed innocence in his resignation letter. Former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the time of Iswaran’s resignation that he had pledged to return the money he had received as part of his salary and allowances since his arrest. Government ministers have salaries comparable to those of the top earners in the private sector to prevent corruption.
Lee has previously admitted that his long-ruling PAP has “hit the ground running” after a spate of political scandals. Last year, two PAP lawmakers resigned due to the affair. Earlier, two heavyweight cabinet members were investigated for allegedly receiving favors in the rental of sprawling colonial-era bungalows, but were subsequently cleared. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who replaced Lee, said the PAP’s anti-corruption stance was “non-negotiable”. The last Singaporean political figure to be tried and charged with corruption was Wee Toon Boon in 1975, accused of accepting bribes worth more than $600,000, according to local media.
