SINGAPORE – The High Court on Sept 24 will see the first Singapore political office-holder in nearly five decades standing trial.
The proceedings for former transport minister S. Iswaran, 62, are expected to begin at 10am, and will continue until Sept 27.
Further trial dates have been set in November 2024, and from January to March 2025.
Opening statements will be heard from the prosecution led by Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong and Iswaran’s defence team led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh.
Iswaran faces a total of 35 charges.
Of these, 32 involve items worth over $237,000 allegedly obtained from billionaire hotelier and Formula One (F1) race promoter Singapore GP’s chairman Ong Beng Seng, and Mr David Lum, managing director of mainboard-listed construction company Lum Chang Holdings.
The items include tickets to F1 races, football matches and musical shows allegedly obtained from Mr Ong, and bottles of whisky, golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle allegedly obtained from Mr Lum.
These charges fall under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which makes it an offence for a public servant to accept or obtain anything of value, for free or for inadequate payment, from anyone with whom he is involved in an official capacity.
Of the remaining three charges, two are for corruption and one for allegedly performing an act that could likely obstruct the course of justice.
The obstruction charge relates to $5,700 he allegedly repaid to Singapore GP for the cost of his business-class flight from Doha to Singapore that he purportedly took on Dec 11, 2022, at Mr Ong’s expense through the company.
Mr Ong and his wife, prominent businesswoman Christina Ong, and Mr Lum are among the 56 prosecution witnesses expected to take the stand.
The prosecution witnesses also include Iswaran’s wife Kay Mary Taylor; Iswaran’s former personal assistant Ivy Chan Wan Hiang; Singapore GP deputy chairman Colin Syn Wai Hung; and Singapore GP director Mok Chee Liang.
The judge presiding over the case is Justice Vincent Hoong.
Iswaran was first handed 27 charges on Jan 18.
On March 25, he was handed eight more charges relating to items he had allegedly obtained from Mr Lum.