Former Transport Minister Iswaran has been sentenced to 12 months in jail after pleading guilty to four amended charges under Section 165 of Singapore’s Penal Code and one charge of obstructing the course of justice under Section 204A(a) of the Penal Code.

Previously, the prosecution sought a jail term of six to seven months, while the defence requested that Iswaran’s aggregate sentence not exceed eight weeks.

Iswaran admitted to accepting valuable gifts from prominent businessmen, including Ong Beng Seng, chairman of Singapore GP, and David Lum Kok Seng, managing director of Lum Chang Holdings, while holding public office. These gifts, which included private flights and other benefits, were worth over S$400,000 in total.

The 35 charges against Iswaran were amended by the prosecution on 24 September 2024 from corruption to lesser offences under Section 165, which pertains to public servants receiving valuable items in connection with their official duties. The court also took into account Iswaran’s admission of obstructing the course of justice, for which he had repaid over S$5,000 to Singapore GP for a business-class flight he had taken at Ong’s expense.

The remaining 30 charges were taken into account during sentencing.

Iswaran’s defence team argued that his guilty plea followed the amendment of the charges and suggested that this change altered the “complexion” of the case.

However, Justice Vincent Hoong, in delivering his judgement on Thursday (3 Oct), rejected this argument, noting that Iswaran had consistently denied the charges and only pleaded guilty after the amendments were made. The court ruled that his decision to plead guilty did not demonstrate sufficient remorse, particularly given his earlier public statements professing innocence.

The judge also dismissed several of the defence’s mitigating arguments. Among them was the claim that Ong, the businessman who had offered Iswaran private jet travel and other benefits, would have incurred the costs regardless of Iswaran’s involvement.

Justice Hoong ruled that the central issue was Iswaran’s acceptance of these benefits while knowing that Ong had business interests connected to Iswaran’s official role as minister and chairman of the Formula 1 (F1) steering committee. This, the judge said, compromised the integrity of public office.

The court further rejected the argument that Iswaran’s public service and contributions to Singapore should weigh in his favour during sentencing.

Justice Hoong described these as “neutral” factors in this context, emphasising the importance of general deterrence in cases involving high-ranking officials. “Holders of high office set the tone for public servants and must be expected to avoid any perception of influence by pecuniary benefits,” the judge said.

Iswaran had pleaded guilty to obtaining gifts such as a private flight to Doha from Ong, taken while on urgent personal leave.

Although Iswaran’s lawyers argued that the absence of financial detriment to Ong should mitigate his culpability, the court rejected this. Justice Hoong stated that the focus should remain on the harm caused to public institutions and the need for general deterrence.

Furthermore, the defence’s claim that Iswaran had distributed the F1 tickets he received to friends and family, rather than selling them, was also rejected.

The judge ruled that the improper use of these tickets, which Iswaran had obtained by virtue of his official connection to Ong, was damaging to the integrity of public office.

Justice Hoong emphasised that general deterrence remained a central consideration in the sentencing of public servants who commit such offences.

“The lack of prevalence of such offences may be a sign of healthy governance processes, but it cannot detract from the courts’ responsibility to signal their disapproval of such conduct,” he said.

Iswaran had originally faced 35 charges, including two counts of corruption.

The charges were amended from two counts of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) to offences under Section 165, which covers public servants who receive valuable gifts in connection with their official duties.

This section, unlike Section 8 of the PCA, does not include a presumption of corruption, which would have placed the burden on the accused to prove the gifts were not given as inducements.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) cited litigation risks in proving the original corruption charges as a reason for amending them, but did not suggest that the case itself lacked merit.

SINGAPORE: A struggling family living in a rental flat had their water supply reduced on 1 October, as revealed in an Instagram post by the workers’ rights advocacy group, Workers Make Possible (WMP).

In an effort to ease the family’s burden, a fundraiser was launched. By the evening of 1 October, S$1,620 had been raised.

Of this amount, S$1,200 was transferred to the family to fully clear their outstanding water bill and address other urgent expenses.

The family, which had been accumulating water bill arrears for several months, was informed by SP Group that their water supply would only be fully restored if they paid S$450 upfront—half of their total outstanding bill of S$900.

According to WMP, the mother of the family has been severely ill for months, leading to her inability to work.

As a result, her husband, who earns less than S$2,000 per month after CPF deductions, is the sole breadwinner for the family, which includes young children.

With the rising cost of living in Singapore, the family has struggled to manage household expenses, leading to unpaid bills, WMP shared in the post.

After contacting SP Group, the mother was told the water supply would resume if half of the arrears were paid. However, she could not afford the required S$450.

This situation occurs amid rising water prices in Singapore.

The government raised the price of water by 20 cents per cubic metre this year, with an additional increase of 30 cents planned for next year.

WMP argued that despite government subsidies, many low-income families continue to struggle to cover their basic utility bills.

“Subsidies offered by the government don’t come anywhere close to alleviating the struggles of poor families in paying these bills. PUB earned about $286 million in 2021,” WMP challenged.

To support the family, Workers Make Possible organised a fundraiser via PayNow. In a 5:30 pm update on 1 October, WMP announced that S$1,620 had been raised.

Of this amount, S$1,200 was sent to the family to clear their water bill, while the remaining S$420 will be used to assist a young warehouse worker struggling with illness and rent payments, WMP clarified.

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