SINGAPORE – More than a year after his arrest by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in July 2023, former transport minister S. Iswaran will go to court on Sept 24 to defend himself against 35 criminal charges.
The first tranche of the High Court trial will be held until Sept 27. Further trial dates have been set in November, and from January to March 2025.
Iswaran, 62, is the first political office-holder in nearly five decades to be tried in court.
Prosecutors have accused him of obtaining items worth more than $400,000 from Mr Ong Beng Seng, billionaire hotelier and chairman of Formula One (F1) race promoter Singapore GP, as well as Mr David Lum, managing director of mainboard-listed construction firm Lum Chang Holdings.
The items include tickets to F1 races, football matches and musical shows allegedly obtained from Mr Ong, and bottles of whisky, golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle allegedly obtained from Mr Lum.
Lawyers for the former minister described Mr Ong and Mr Lum as Iswaran’s close friends, and said the items were gifts.
The majority of the charges Iswaran is facing come under a rarely used provision that has been part of Singapore’s criminal legislation since 1871.
Section 165 of the Penal Code makes it an offence for a public servant to accept or obtain anything of value, for free or for inadequate payment, from any person with whom he is involved in an official capacity.
However, defence lawyer Senior Counsel Davinder Singh said the code of conduct for ministers states that ministers and their family members are not prevented from accepting gifts from family or personal friends “in a genuinely personal capacity”.
“His state of mind at that time was that not only was he dealing with close friends, he had… no knowledge or suspicion that the gifts were offered as veiled gratification,” added Mr Singh.
Mr Ong and Mr Lum have not been charged with any offence.
Observers noted that the court’s ruling on the provision could impact how public servants ought to deal with others in a way that does not infringe the law.
The prosecution asked for Iswaran’s case to be transferred from the State Courts to the High Court for this reason and because of strong public interest in the case.
Mr Ong and his wife, prominent businesswoman Christina Ong, and Mr Lum are among the 56 prosecution witnesses who have been lined up to take the stand.
The prosecution witnesses also include Iswaran’s wife, Ms Kay Mary Taylor; Iswaran’s former personal assistant, Ms Ivy Chan Wan Hiang; deputy chairman of Singapore GP, Mr Colin Syn Wai Hung; and Singapore GP director, Mr Mok Chee Liang.
The judge presiding over the case is Justice Vincent Hoong.
All eyes on Iswaran’s trial as it begins on Sept 24
