The country’s former Transport Minister S. Iswaran (pic) was handed eight more charges in a corruption case, the anti-graft body said, in one of the city-state’s highest-profile corruption scandals.
The additional charges involved allegations he obtained valuable items worth about S$18,956 while minister from an individual whose business had dealings with the Transport Ministry, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said yesterday.
Iswaran now faces a total of 35 charges in a case that has gripped Singapore, a major Asian financial hub that prides itself on a squeaky clean government that is rarely affected by graft and political scandal.
The last corruption case involving a minister was in 1986 when the national development minister was investigated for allegedly accepting bribes. The minister died before he could be charged in court.
Iswaran, 61, denies the charges.
Those include corruption and obstructing the course of justice, which were levelled on Jan 18.
If convicted of graft, he could be fined up to S$100,000 or face seven years in prison.
He was arrested in July last year and alleged to have obtained kickbacks worth S$384,340 from property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, partly to advance Ong’s business interests.
Charge sheets show the favours included tickets to football matches, musicals, a flight on Ong’s private plane and tickets to the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Iswaran was adviser to the Grand Prix’s steering committee, while Ong owns the rights to the race. — Reuters
