The 62-year-old pleaded guilty to four counts related to receiving gifts and one count of blocking justice on September 24, the first day of the trial, cutting short what was to be a lengthy trial with 56 prosecution witnesses.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Vincent Hoong said he had considered sentencing submissions from both the prosecution and the defence, but was “ultimately unable to agree with both positions taken”.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Hoong emphasized that trust in public institutions is the foundation of effective governance.
The judge added that the former minister abused his position by accepting gifts worth about SGD 403,300 ($313,200).
He said: “This can very easily be undermined by a public servant who does not meet standards of integrity and accountability.”
The judge said it was significant that Iswaran had made public statements rejecting the charges as false.
“In a letter to the Prime Minister, Iswaran said he rejected the charges and that he was innocent and believed he would be acquitted. Therefore, I find it difficult to believe that he was remorseful,” The Straits Times quoted the judge as saying.
As Justice Hoong addressed the court, Iswaran looked down and took notes.
The judge added: “The higher the position that the offender holds as a public servant, the higher his level of culpability.”
He said such people set the tone for public servants by behaving with high standards of integrity and should avoid any perception that they are susceptible to influence for financial gain.
Iswaran’s lead lawyer Davinder Singh had argued for no more than eight weeks in jail, while deputy public prosecutor Tai Wei Shyong had sought a jail term of six to seven months.
“I am of the opinion that it is appropriate to impose a sentence that exceeds the positions of both parties,” Judge Hoong said, adding that accepting the prosecution or defense submission would result in a “manifestly inadequate sentence.”
Judge Hoong noted certain aggravating factors, such as the overall duration of the crime committed by Iswaran, the high position he held, and the overall harm to the public interest as well as confidence in public institutions.
Iswaran’s lawyers asked for the jail sentence to be postponed until October 7 and for Iswaran to surrender at 4pm in the state courts that day, as reported by Channel News Asia.
However, he stressed that this is subject to the defense receiving instructions from Iswaran, alluding to the possibility of an appeal.
The sentencing comes more than a year after details of the investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) came to light, and 10 months after Iswaran was first charged in court.
Iswaran, a veteran politician of the ruling People’s Action Party, resigned from his position in January and made a voluntary repayment of SGD380,305.95 to the state a day before his scheduled trial on September 24. This refers to giving up ill-gotten gains and differs from restitution. .
They also seized gifts such as bottles of whiskey and wine, golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle.
Between November 2015 and December 2022, Iswaran obtained valuables such as tickets to musicals, football and Formula 1 from Singapore GP majority shareholder Ong Beng Seng, as well as bottles of whiskey and wine from construction boss Lum Kok Seng.
This was while Iswaran had portfolios that had official dealings with the two men, prosecutors said.
Lum’s company, Lum Chang Building Contractors, entered into a contract worth SGD325 million with the Land Transport Authority in 2016 for works on the Tanah Merah MRT station and its viaducts.
Iswaran became Transport Minister in May 2021.
Ong, a hotelier, was linked to two facilitation agreements between the Singapore GP and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to manage the annual Singapore Formula 1 race.
Iswaran was chairman of the F1 Steering Committee, established by the government to oversee F1 as a national project.
He was also Minister of Industry in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry from October 2015 to April 2018, under his leadership of the STB. He was also Minister in charge of Trade Relations from May 2018 until January 2024, when he resigned from his position.
The prosecution accepted, however, that Iswaran had no involvement in any decisions relating to Lum’s venture contract and that there was “nothing to suggest that the F1 contracts were structured to the disadvantage of the government”.
The case came to light in May 2023 when CPIB was investigating a separate matter involving Ong’s associates and found a flight manifest for a one-way flight on Ong’s private jet.
Iswaran was on that flight valued at SGD 10,410 from Singapore to Doha on December 10, 2022. His trip there, his overnight stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha and his return flight in business class were handled by the Singapore GP , following instructions from Ong. .
Iswaran did not declare the trip to the government. He requested urgent personal permission to accept Ong’s offer to join him as a guest.
When Ong learned about the seizure of the flight manifest by the CPIB, he called Iswaran and told him about this. Iswaran later asked Ong to have the Singapore GP invoice him for the travel expenses and then paid SGD5,700 for the return flight.
This forms the charge of obstruction of justice.
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