Former Singapore minister sentenced to a year in prison in rare corruption case
Former Singapore minister sentenced to a year in prison in rare corruption case
A Singapore court has sentenced former minister S Iswaran to 12 months in prison for obstructing justice and accepting over $300,000 in gifts.
The 62-year-old, who served as a cabinet member for 13 years across trade, communications, and transport portfolios, pleaded guilty last week to four counts of improperly receiving gifts and one count of obstructing justice.
Handing down the sentence on Thursday, October 3, presiding judge Vincent Hoong said: “Trust and confidence in public institutions were the bedrock of effective governance, which could all too easily be undermined by the appearance that an individual public servant had fallen below the standards of integrity and accountability.”
The investigation of Iswaran caused a stir in the Asian financial hub and centred on allegations that, while transport minister, he accepted expensive gifts from businessmen that included tickets to English Premier League football matches, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, London musicals and a ride on a private jet.
