In the end, neither the prosecution nor the defence got what they argued for regarding the sentence for the five charges former Transport Minister S Iswaran was convicted for on Sept 24.
The defence, led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, asked for no more than eight weeks' jail, while the prosecution, led by Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong, pushed for six to seven months then.
He said that "the lack of prevalence of such an offence may well be regarded as a sign of the health of government's processes and protocols, but it cannot detract from the necessity for the courts to signal their disapprobation of serious offences that threaten the public interest".
Over seven years, between 2015 and 2022, he obtained benefits and gifts from both hotelier and Singapore GP majority shareholder Ong Beng Seng.He cited how Iswaran had taken urgent personal leave for an all-expenses paid trip to Doha with Ong Beng Seng in December 2022. Iswaran later asked Ong to bill him in May 2023 when the CPIB commenced investigations. The latter act also constituted an obstruction of justice.
Between January and June 2022, Iswaran obtained 14 bottles of whiskey and wine and a Brompton T-Line bicycle fromAt that time, Iswaran was the Transport Minister and responsible for the Land Transport Authority, which was involved in the MRT construction projects Lum Chang was awarded.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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