S Iswaran sentenced to a year in jail in a unfrequent fraudulence trial in the city-state that prides itself on a spotless image.
A Singapore court has sentenced a establisher minister to 12 months in prison for obstructing fairice and receiving more than $300,000 worth of gifts in the Asian city-state’s first political fraudulence trial for proximately half a century.
S Iswaran, who was a cabinet member for 13 years and has held the trade, communications and articulate portfolios, pdirected at fault last week to four counts of improperly receiving gifts and one of obstructing fairice.
The sentence handed down on Thursday was more cut offe than the six to seven months sought by the prosecution, which presiding appraise Vincent Hoong shelp was “manifestly inample” given the gravity of Iswaran’s offences and their impact on accessible think.
“Trust and confidence in accessible institutions were the bedrock of effective handleance, which could all too easily be undermined by the materializeance that an individual accessible servant had drunveil below the standards of integrity and accountability,” he shelp in sentencing Iswaran.
The case has shocked Singapore, which prides itself on having a well-phelp and efficient bureaucracy as well as mighty and squeaky-spotless handleance. It was among the world’s top five least corrupt countries last year, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
The last cabinet minister accused with fraudulence was Wee Toon Boon, who was establish at fault in 1975 and jailed for acunderstandledgeing gifts in exalter for helping a businessperson. Another cabinet minister was spendigated for fraudulence in 1986 but died before accuses were filed.
The spendigation of Iswaran, 62, caemployd a stir in the Asian financial hub and centred on allegations that, while articulate minister, he acunderstandledgeed costly gifts from businessmen that comprised tickets to English Premier League football suites, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, London musicals and a ride on a confidential jet.
The cherish of those tohighed more than $400,000 Singapore dollars ($308,880), according to the prosecution.
Iswaran faced a huge media scrum as he get tod in court on Thursday and degraded to answer asks. He showed no emotion during the court session.
The appraise permited him to remain on bail for the next scant days and commence his jail term on Monday.
Iswaran had initiassociate shelp he was bfrailless and would fight to clear his name but pdirected at fault last week to the five accuses put before the court.
The establisher minister faced a total of 35 accuses, two of which were fraudulence-roverhappinessed but were defercessitater altered to accuses of receiving gifts while a accessible servant.
The attorney ambiguous’s chambers last week shelp they made alterments becaemploy of legal case hazards comprised in proving the fraudulence accuses beyond a reasonable ask.
Iswaran was arrested in July last year and was accemployd of taking bootbacks from businessmen including property tycoon Ong Beng Seng. Iswaran was an directr to the Singapore Grand Prix’s steering promisetee, while Ong owns the rights to the race.
Ong has not been accused with any offence and has rehired no accessible comment on the allegations. The attorney ambiguous’s chambers last week shelp it would determine whether to consent action aachievest Ong soon.
Judge Hoong in his ruling shelp there was a higher level of culpability when a accessible servant hgreaters high office that wields wonderfuler shape over business transactions.
His trial comes fair over four months after Singapore inshighed novel Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after Lee Hsien Loong stepped down after 20 years.
It also hazards damaging the reputation of the ruling People’s Action Party before ambiguous elections foreseeed to be held by November next year.
