Singapore grants house arrest to jailed former transport minister


FILE PHOTO: Former transport minister S. Iswaran walks as he appears at the Supreme Court in Singapore October 3, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's disgraced former transport minister S. Iswaran, jailed last year for obstructing justice and receiving more than $300,000 of gifts, will serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, the prisons service said on Friday.

Iswaran was the first former cabinet member to be jailed in Singapore after a high-profile trial that gripped the wealthy city state, which is famous for its clean governance.

He will serve the remaining eight months of his one-year sentence at home under certain conditions, which include curfew monitoring, counselling and use of an electronic tag, the Singapore Prisons Service said in response to a query from Reuters.

"He has been assessed suitable for emplacement on the scheme, as he is of low risk of re-offending, did not commit any institutional offence in prison, and has strong family support," it said.

Eligible prisoners are considered for home detention when they have served at least 14 days of a prison sentence longer than four weeks, it said.

Iswaran was a cabinet member for 13 years and had held the trade, communications and transport portfolios. He pleaded guilty last year to four counts of improperly receiving more than $300,000 worth of gifts, and one of obstructing justice.

(Reporting by Bing Hong Lok; Editing by Martin Petty)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In World

Leftist Sanchez heads to Peru presidential runoff after month-long count
Fire hits gas facility in Venezuela, leaving workers injured, sources say
UK leadership hopeful Burnham faces tricky test to return to parliament
Stolen skull of medieval saint hidden in concrete, say Czech police
UK man appears in court over stabbing of two Jewish men in London
Germany's Merz: I wouldn't advise my children to live in US
WHO warns loosely regulated nicotine pouches risk youth addiction
Ukrainian drones hit oil refinery in Russia's Ryazan, Ukraine says
Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits northern Japan, no tsunami warning issued
Ukraine doubles strikes on Russian oil refineries this year

Others Also Read