Facing the law: Ong arriving at the State Court in Singapore. He is accused of giving high-value gifts to Iswaran (below). — AFP
A court charged a property billionaire with obstructing justice and abetting offences by a disgraced ex-transport minister jailed a day earlier in the city-state’s high-profile government graft case.
Ong Beng Seng, the 78-year-old owner of Hotel Properties Ltd and rights holder to the Singapore Grand Prix Formula One race, is accused of giving high-value gifts to ex-minister S. Iswaran, who on Thursday became the first former cabinet member to be jailed in the island state.
The case has been the subject of major intrigue in Singapore, a wealthy financial hub that offers ministers salaries of more than S$1mil (RM3.2mil) to deter graft and prides itself on its reputation for clean governance.
Iswaran was imprisoned for 12 months for obstructing justice and improperly receiving gifts as a public servant, with Ong a central part of the prosecution’s case.
Ong has so far issued no comment on the accusations.
Channel NewsAsia yesterday said he entered no plea yesterday and did not indicate how he would plead.
Ong’s firm, Singapore-listed Hotel Properties Ltd, requested a trading halt early yesterday following Thursday’s announcement he would be charged.
Prosecutors during Iswaran’s trial said the ex-minister received gifts worth more than US$300,000, including tickets to English Premier League soccer matches, the F1 Grand Prix, London musicals and a ride on a private jet to Doha.
Ong was charged with one count of abetting Iswaran’s receiving of valuables and one count of obstruction of justice, according to the charge sheet.
The court during Iswaran’s trial heard how the minister had asked Ong to bill him for the Doha trip on the private jet after he discovered the anti-graft agency had seized the flight manifest for an unrelated case.
Channel NewsAsia said Ong’s court hearing was adjourned until pre-trial proceedings on Nov 15. — Reuters
