On October 3, 2024, former Transport Minister S. Iswaran appeared in the Supreme Court of Singapore.
Sue Edgar | Reuters
A Singapore court on Thursday sentenced a former minister to 12 months in prison for perverting the course of justice and accepting gifts worth more than $300,000, the first time a former cabinet member has been jailed in the city-state known for its integrity.
S. Iswaran, a cabinet member for trade, communications and transport for 13 years, pleaded guilty to four counts of improperly accepting gifts and one count of perverting the course of justice.
The court said Iswaran, 62, will be granted bail in the next few days and will begin serving his sentence on Monday.
The case has shocked Singapore, which prides itself on having high salaries, an efficient bureaucracy and strong and fiercely clean governance. Last year it was among the five least corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
The last corruption case involving a Singapore minister was in 1986, when Singapore's national development minister was investigated for alleged bribery but died before any charges could be brought to court.
The investigation, which has caused a stir in Asia's financial hub, focused on allegations that Iswaran accepted lavish gifts from businessmen, including tickets to Premier League football matches, the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, a London musical and private Opportunities to fly.
Prosecutors said the items were worth a total of more than S$400,000. Ivalan resigned as transport minister after less than three years in the job when he was first charged in January.
Iswaran initially said he was innocent and would work to clear his name, but he admitted five charges brought to court, two of which were initially related to corruption but were later amended to charges of receiving gifts.
Prosecutors initially charged him with 35 crimes, but ultimately only charged him with five.
