Ex-minister Iswaran reportedly falls ill in Australia, allowed to extend overseas trip to 19 Mar
Former transport minister S. Iswaran, charged in court with multiple offences, will remain outside of Singapore for 16 days longer.
This comes after he received permission to extend his overseas trip till 19 Mar.
He reportedly fell ill in Australia.
Lawyers for Iswaran file application for him to extend overseas stay
Quoting the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported that Iswaran’s lawyers filed an application during an urgent mention at the State Courts on Monday (4 Mar).
This was to extend his permission to leave Singapore jurisdiction by 16 days.
He fell ill while in Australia helping son settle into university
The 61-year-old former minister was originally set to be in Australia from 16 Feb to 4 Mar to help his son settle into university.
However, he had fallen ill while in the country, the ACG said.
Details of his illness were not specified.
Iswaran must follow enhanced bail conditions
The prosecution did not object to the application, the AGC said.
However, the following enhanced bail conditions were set out for him:
- He must pay an extra cash bail of S$500,000, on top of the existing bail of S$800,000
- He must provide his travel itinerary and overseas address to an investigating officer
- He must be contactable by an investigating officer at all times
- He must report to an investigation officer daily via video call to update them on his health and whether there will be any issues with his return to Singapore
With the extension, he will now return to Singapore and surrender his passport to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) on 20 Mar.
Faces 27 charges for offences including corruption
The latest development in the saga comes about 1.5 months after Iswaran was handed 27 charges, including for corruption and receiving valuables as a public servant.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on bail.
On 8 Feb, he was given permission to leave the country.
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Featured image adapted from S Iswaran on Facebook.Â