Iswaran Faces 27 Charges Including 24 For Accepting Valuable Things As A Public Servant
For months, Singaporeans have been in the dark about what the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was investigating former Transport Minister S Iswaran for.
On Thursday (18 Jan), these allegations came to light after Mr Iswaran was handed 27 charges in court.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
The charges accused the 61-year-old of receiving kickbacks including tickets to theatre shows, football matches, and the Singapore Grand Prix (GP).
Allegedly received tickets to football matches while he was a public servant
The Straits Times reported that 24 of the 27 charges Mr Iswaran faces have to do with accepting valuables while he was a public servant.
The value of these items, which traced back to Nov 2015, reportedly exceeded S$218,000.
The Business Times wrote that the items Mr Iswaran allegedly accepted included tickets to five football games in the United Kingdom (UK):
- West Ham vs Everton (Nov 2015) — two tickets worth about £468 (S$1,006.06)
- Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur (Nov 2015) — two tickets worth about £550 (S$1,182.34)
- Chelsea vs Southampton (Dec 2017) — four tickets worth about £700 (S$1,263.99)
- Arsenal vs Liverpool (Dec 2017) — four tickets worth about £1,100 (S$1,986.27)
- Chelsea vs Manchester City (Dec 2018) — four tickets worth about £1,100 (S$1,986.27)
The matches in question seemingly took place in London.
Accused of receiving tickets to theatre shows from Ong Beng Seng
The former Transport Minister was also accused of receiving kickbacks in the form of tickets to theatre shows:
- ‘Thriller’ (Nov 2015) — two tickets worth about £200 (S$429.94)
- ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ (Nov 2015) — two tickets worth about £270 (S$580.42)
- ‘Book of Mormon’ (Dec 2017) — four tickets worth about £540 (S$975.08)
- ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ (Dec 2017) — four tickets worth about £1,000 (S$1,805.70)
- ‘Kinky Boots’ (Dec 2017) — four tickets worth about £300 (S$541.71)
- ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ (Dec 2018) — four tickets worth about £380 (S$659.57)
- ‘School of Rock’ (Dec 2018) — four tickets worth about £560 (S$971.99)
- ‘Hamilton’ (June 2019) — four tickets worth about £400 (S$690.92)
- ‘Waitress’ (June 2019) — four tickets worth about £524 (S$905.11)
- ‘Betrayal’ (June 2019) — four tickets worth about £1,080 (S$1,865.48)
- ‘Back to the Future’ (Dec 2021) — two tickets worth about £449 (S$814.49)
- ‘&Juliet’ （Dec 2021) — two tickets worth about £250 (S$453.50)
Mr Iswaran allegedly received the football match and show tickets from property tycoon Mr Ong Beng Seng for “no consideration” through the latter’s company Como Holdings.
Source: S Iswaran on Facebook
The former minister faces a corruption charge for allegedly receiving gratification amounting to S$145,434 from Mr Ong in exchange for advancing the latter’s business interest.
The business interest had to do with a contract between Singapore GP and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Faces charges for obtaining Singapore GP tickets through Ong Beng Seng
The charges additionally accused Mr Iswaran of receiving tickets to the Singapore GP from Mr Ong, who owns the rights to the racing event.
- 2016 Singapore GP — 10 Green Room tickets worth about S$42,265
- 2017 Singapore GP — 10 Green Room tickets worth about S$42,265
- 2017 Singapore GP — five Boardwalk tickets worth about S$40,000
- 2018 Singapore GP — 13 general admission tickets worth about S$16,744
- 2018 Singapore GP — six Twenty3 tickets worth about S$13,193.10
- 2019 Singapore GP — 16 general admission tickets worth about S$20,608
- 2019 Singapore GP — six Green Room tickets worth about S$26,643
- 2022 Singapore GP — 50 tickets worth about S$145,434
The former Transport Minister allegedly received these tickets despite knowing that they were connected to his role then as Chairman of the F1 Steering Committee.
The charge sheet also stated that Mr Iswaran corruptly obtained a Singapore-Doha flight worth about US$7,700 (S$10,410.40) on Mr Ong’s private jet.
He also allegedly received a night’s stay at Four Seasons Doha, valued at about S$4,737.63.
Mr Iswaran then returned to Singapore via a Business-Class flight valued at S$5,700.
These expenses, racked up in Dec 2022, were allegedly paid through Mr Ong’s company, Singapore GP.
Mr Iswaran received a second corruption charge in relation to this trip, which was reportedly an “inducement” to advance Ong’s interest with STB.
In May 2023, two months before Mr Iswaran was arrested by CPIB, the then-Minister allegedly repaid S$5,700 to Singapore GP for his Doha-Singapore flight.
He faces an additional charge of obstructing justice over this repayment.
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Featured image adapted from S Iswaran on Facebook and Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
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