SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Transport Minister S. Iswaran had his monthly pay reduced to S$8,500 until further notice when he was relieved of his ministerial duties, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told Parliament on Wednesday (Aug 2).
In delivering his ministerial statement on the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) investigation involving Iswaran, Lee said he had used the current civil service practice as a reference point since such incidents involving ministers were rare and that there was no rule or precedent on how to effect an interdiction on a political office-holder.
“The specific details in Minister Iswaran’s case follow generally how the civil service would deal with a senior officer in a similar situation.
“But this was my decision as PM, because the political contexts for a minister and a civil servant being investigated and interdicted are different,” he said.
According to the Public Service Division, when the ministerial salaries were last adjusted in 2012, the monthly salary of a minister at benchmark level is $55,000, which works out to an annual salary of $1,100,000. The fixed salary, including the 13th month, is $715,000. The rest is variable.
Lee told the House that the CPIB came across information concerning Minister Iswaran that merited investigation and alerted him on May 29. He said the bureau pursued the lead further on its own volition.
“Nobody tipped them off. There had been no public scandal. CPIB came across something that needed investigating and proceeded to do their job,” Lee said.
Reiterating the events that took place, PM Lee said the CPIB director briefed him on the findings on July 5, saying that the bureau needed to interview Mr Iswaran to take the investigation further and seeking his concurrence to open a formal investigation, which he gave on July 6.
It was on July 11 that Iswaran was taken in by the CPIB and subsequently released on bail.
“I instructed him to take leave of absence until the investigations were completed,” Lee said.
He pointed out that CPIB investigations are still ongoing, and he was, therefore, unable to provide more details on the case, “so as not to prejudice the investigations in any way”.
Lee asked members of the House and the public to refrain from speculation and conjecture.
“We must allow CPIB to do its work, to investigate the matter fully, thoroughly and independently. When the investigation is completed, CPIB will submit its findings to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, which will decide what to do with them. Whichever way the facts come out, the case will be taken to its logical conclusion.
“That has always been our way,” he added.
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