Singapore: Singapore’s Indian-origin former transport minister S Iswaran was handed a one-year jail sentence on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to five charges relating to corruption and blocking of justice in the High Court on September 24. The sentence is more than the six to seven months asked for by the prosecution, which Justice Hoong considers "manifestly inadequate".
The higher the office held by the offender as a public servant, the higher his level of culpability, said Justice Hoong. The former minister is the first person to be prosecuted under Section 165 in post-independent Singapore, reported The Straits Times.
Judge Vincent Hoong turns to the mitigating factors that the defence has highlighted, including Iswaran’s public service to Singapore, his voluntary disgorgement to the benefits and his early plea of guilt. Given that the rest of the 30 charges that were taken into consideration bear similarities with the proceeded charges where he received gifts, the judge said that these charges revealed the scale and repetition of offending over a significant period of time. This is a culpability-increasing factor, says Judge Hoong.
His public service and contributions to Singapore were at most a neutral factor, adds the judge. Justice Hoong says he has difficulty believing that Iswaran was remorseful, as the latter had made public statements rejecting the charges as false. He added that he is unable to accept the defence’s submissions. The accused is only eligible for a sentencing discount of up to 10 per cent.
Expensive gifts
The investigation caused a stir in the Asian financial hub and centred on allegations that Iswaran while the transport minister accepted expensive gifts from businessmen that included tickets to English Premier League soccer matches, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, London musicals and a ride on a private jet. The value of those totalled more than S$400,000 (308,880.31), according to the prosecution.
Iswaran, 62, faced a huge media scrum as he arrived in court and declined to answer questions. He showed no emotion during the court session. The judge allowed him to remain on bail for the next few days and begin his jail term on Monday. Iswaran had initially said he was innocent and would fight to clear his name but pleaded guilty last week to the five charges put before the court. The former minister faced a total of 35 charges, two of which were corruption-related but were later amended to charges of receiving gifts while a public servant.
The attorney general's chambers last week said they made amendments because of litigation risks involved in proving the corruption charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Iswaran was arrested in July last year and was accused of taking kickbacks from businessmen including property tycoon Ong Beng Seng. Iswaran was an adviser to the Singapore Grand Prix's steering committee, while Ong owns the rights to the race. Ong has not been charged with any offence and has issued no public comment on the allegations. The attorney general's chambers last week said it would decide whether to take action against Ong soon. Judge Hoong in his ruling said there was a higher level of culpability when a public servant holds high office that wields greater influence over business transactions.
($1 = 1.2950 Singapore dollars)
(With inputs from agency)
ALSO READ: Indian-origin woman charged in Singapore for carrying watermelon-printed umbrellas | KNOW WHY
