A day after former transport minister S. Iswaran was sentenced to jail, billionaire Ong Beng Seng was charged over the same case.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said in a press release that he was charged on Friday (4 Oct).
Source: @InsightMV on Twitter
Ong, 78, was charged with two offences under the Penal Code 1871, the AGC said.
The first is allegedly abetting Iswaran to obtain two flights and accommodation in Doha, Qatar, with a total value of S$20,848.03, from Ong himself, for no consideration — an offence under Section 165 read with Section 109.
Section 165 states that it’s an offence for a public servant to accept anything of value from any person with whom he is involved in an official capacity without payment or with inadequate payment.
Court documents cited by The Straits Times (ST) said that in December 2022, Ong offered Iswaran a trip from Singapore to Doha on his private plane, valued at US$7,700 (S$10,400).
The tycoon also arranged a one-night stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, valued at US$4,737.63 (S$6,176) — and a business class flight from Doha to Singapore, valued at US$5,700 (S$7,431).
Those convicted of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts face a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine.
Ong was also charged with abetting Iswaran to obstruct the course of justice — an offence under Section 204A(a) read with Section 109.
Source: Singapore Statutes Online
Court documents stated that Ong had alerted Iswaran that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had seized the flight manifest for the Doha trip. This prompted Iswaran to ask Ong to bill him for the flight.
Between 18 and 25 May 2023, Ong allegedly instructed that the Doha-Singapore flight be billed to Iswaran, thereby intentionally aiding him in paying the amount to the Singapore Grand Prix, of which he is the chairman. The flight had been paid for by the company.
Source: S Iswaran on Facebook
Those convicted of abetting obstruction of justice face a jail term of up to seven years and/or a fine.
The charges against Ong correspond to two of the charges to which Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 Sept, the AGC said.
Ong will not be charged for his involvement in the other charges that Iswaran faced, it added, stating:
In arriving at this decision, the prosecution considered all the relevant facts and circumstances of the case, including the role that Ong played in each of the transactions.
The AGC cannot make further comments as the matter is now before the court.
Ong turned up in court on Friday, surrounded by a scrum of journalists.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
He was accompanied by his lawyer, Mr Aaron Lee from Allen and Gledhill.
Mr Lee asked for a six-week adjournment so he could have time to take instructions from his client.
The case was then adjourned to 15 Nov.
Another person linked to the Iswaran case, Mr Lum Kok Seng, will not be charged, the AGC said in its press release.
Iswaran was also accused of obtaining valuable items from Mr Lum, who is managing director of property management, interior design and construction company Lum Chang Holdings.
He was alleged to have given items worth a total of S$19,000, such as bottles of whisky, golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle, to the then-minister.
Also read: Billionaire Ong Beng Seng Is A Tycoon With Connections, Clinched F1 Deal Before CPIB Probe
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
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