Singapore’s Transport Minister S. Iswaran has resigned after being charged in court for graft, on Thursday (Jan 18), amid a corruption probe that also involves a billionaire hotel tycoon.
The city-state has long prided itself on its squeaky-clean governance and the case has since shocked the nation as it witnesses one of the most high-profile graft cases involving a minister after nearly four decades.
About the case
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), said Iswaran, who was arrested in July last year faces a total of 27 charges, including corruption, “obtaining gratification as a public servant,” and obstructing the course of justice.
The city-state’s anti-graft agency has alleged that the minister obtained kickbacks valued at $286,181 (S$384,340.98) from property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, partly to advance the billionaire’s business interests.
Iswaran, 61, allegedly received gifts worth more than $119,136 in the form of flights, hotel stays and tickets to the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The charge sheet against the now-former minister also purportedly shows favours like tickets to football matches, West End musicals, and flights on Ong’s private plane. Both Iswaran and Ong were arrested last year.
Notably, Iswaran was an advisor to the Grand Prix’s steering committee, while Ong owns the rights to the race. It is also said that the property tycoon played a significant role in bringing the F1 race to Singapore in 2008.
The case has shocked the city-state, whose government is rarely affected by graft and scandals. Government officials and civil servants are highly paid to discourage corruption, with many cabinet ministers’ annual salaries being more than $744,602 (S$1 million).
Notably, the last corruption case that Singapore witnessed involving a minister was nearly four decades ago. In 1986, the national development minister was probed for allegedly accepting bribes but died before he could be charged.
Iswaran resigns
Iswaran, a veteran of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), who has held multiple portfolios over the years, submitted his resignation from the government, parliament and ruling party, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong revealed shortly after Thursday’s hearing.
Iswaran quit on January 16 after being given formal notice of the charges against him.
The 61-year-old joined Loong’s cabinet as a junior minister in 2006 and became transport minister in May 2021.
In his resignation letter, Iswaran has pledged to return the money received as part of his salary and allowances since his arrest and rejected the allegations against him.
“I reject the allegations in the charges and will now focus on clearing my name,” Iswaran wrote in his resignation letter, published on the website of the PM’s office. (WION)
