AFTER multiple delays, the graft trial of former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran begins on Tuesday (Sep 24) in the High Court.
The 62-year-old is accused of obtaining more than S$403,000 worth of items during his time as a public servant, and faces two other counts of corruption and one of obstruction of justice. He maintains his innocence and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Iswaran is the first political office holder to be charged with corruption since the late Wee Toon Boon in 1975. Wee, then minister of state for environment, was sentenced to 18 months of jail, for a case involving more than S$800,000.
Iswaran is defended by a team of lawyers led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, who has acted for former prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Lee Hsien Loong in civil lawsuits.
Who is involved?
Iswaran’s trial centres on his interactions with two individuals in his official capacity: as Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry), then Minister for Communications and Information, then Minister for Transport.
The first is Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng, co-founder and managing director of mainboard-listed real estate group Hotel Properties Limited, which owns and operates luxury hotels, resorts and shopping galleries in 17 countries.
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Ong is credited with bringing the Formula 1 Grand Prix to Singapore in 2008. He owns the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix and is chairman of race promoter Singapore GP.
The second is David Lum, director of mainboard-listed Lum Chang Holdings. Lum Chang is the parent company of construction firm Lum Chang Building Contractors, which has worked on multiple government projects.
At least 56 witnesses are expected to testify at the trial, including Iswaran’s wife Kay Mary Taylor and Iswaran’s then-personal assistant Ivy Chan.
What is Iswaran charged with?
Iswaran faces a total of 35 charges.
Of these, 32 are under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which prohibits a public servant from accepting any valuable thing with zero or inadequate consideration, from someone connected to any proceedings or business transactions that he or she handles.
First, in January 2024, Iswaran was handed 27 charges relating to dealings with Ong between November 2015 and December 2022.
Most are for allegedly obtaining S$218,058.95 worth of items – tickets to musicals and plays, football matches and the F1 race – from Ong, to advance the latter’s business interests in agreements between Singapore GP and the Singapore Tourism Board.
Another two counts of corruption are for allegedly obtaining gratification from Ong in the form of F1 tickets worth S$145,434, on top of flights and accommodation for a business trip to Doha.
He also faces one charge of obstructing the course of justice, for repaying S$5,700 – the cost of his business class flight ticket to Doha – to Singapore GP around May 25, 2023.
In March, Iswaran was handed another eight charges for allegedly obtaining S$18,956.94 worth of gifts from Lum between November 2021 and November 2022.
This includes obtaining items such as bottles of whisky, golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle when he was the transport minister, despite knowing about Lum’s business connections to his ministerial role.
One of Lum’s companies, Lum Chang Building Contractors, had won a contract from the Land Transport Authority in 2016 for works at Tanah Merah MRT station.
How did things come to light?
On Jul 12, 2023, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said Iswaran was assisting with an investigation into a case it had uncovered, without elaborating. Later, it was revealed that Iswaran and Ong had been arrested on Jul 11 but released on bail.
Iswaran was instructed by then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong to take a leave of absence until investigations were completed. On Aug 2, Lee said Iswaran had been interdicted from duty with a reduced pay of S$8,500 a month until further notice.
On Jan 18, 2024, Iswaran resigned as Transport Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) after being handed the first 27 criminal charges.
He said he would return his ministerial salary and MP allowance received from the beginning of CPIB’s investigations in July.
