Singapore: Former minister sentenced in rare graft case

Former Singaporean minister S. Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months in prison for obstructing justice and receiving more than $300,000 (€272,000) worth of gifts.

Iswaran served as a cabinet minister for 13 years and has held portfolios such as trade, communications and transport. 

He was charged with four counts of receiving gifts improperly and one count of obstructing justice. 

This case has caused shock and become an outlier in Singapore which is known for clean and efficient governance. As per Transparency International's corruption perception index, the city-state was among the five least corrupt countries in the world

A shocking case

The court issued a stringent sentence that was about double the six to seven months requested by the prosecution.

"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," presiding Judge Vincent Hoong said.

Under the law, it is considered an offense for public servants to accept gifts of value from people they officially work with.

Iswaran allegedly accepted gifts from businessmen while serving as transport minister. These gifts included tickets to English Premier League football matches, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, London musicals and a ride on a private jet.

The 62-year-old was released on bail and ordered to surrender to authorities on Monday to begin serving his sentence,

Iswaran had initially claimed innocence but pleaded guilty for the five charges last week. He faced a total of 35 charges. 

Iswaran resigned from his post in January after being notified of the charges. He was arrested in July last year for taking illicit payments from property tycoon Ong Beng Seng. 

Ong has not been charged with any offense. The Attorney General's Office said they would soon decide whether to take action against him.

The attorney general said Iswaran has paid back around $295,000 in financial gain to the government. Some gifts, including a Brompton bicycle, were seized.

Observers say this trial is of huge political significance in Singaporean history. It has also tainted the ruling People's Action Party's reputation, before the country heads to elections next year.

tg/sms (AFP, Reuters)