SINGAPORE: Former transport minister S. Iswaran will not be appealing the sentence handed down by the High Court on Thursday (Oct 3).
Releasing a statement on Facebook, the 62-year-old said he will begin his one-year jail sentence on Oct 7.
“It was important to me that the public prosecutor amended the charges against me under the Prevention of Corruption Act to those under Section 165 of the Penal Code regarding the acceptance of gifts by public servants.
“I accept that as a minister what I did was wrong under Section 165. I accept full responsibility for my actions and apologise unreservedly to all Singaporeans,” said Iswaran.
He added that his family’s well-being and the emotional toll on his loved ones of a long trial extending well into 2025, and possibly beyond, weighed heavily on him.
“The past 15 months have already been most difficult. With this decision, I hope that we can put the pain and anguish behind us, move forward and rebuild our lives together,” he added.
Iswaran was sentenced to jail after he pleaded guilty to five charges.
They comprise four charges for obtaining valuable items as a public servant from Ong Beng Seng, chairman of Formula One (F1) race promoter Singapore GP, and Mr David Lum, managing director of construction company Lum Chang Holdings.
The fifth charge was for obstructing the course of justice by making payment of $5,700 for a business-class flight he had taken from Doha to Singapore in 2022 at Ong’s expense.
Iswaran made the payment to throw off the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), which had found his name in a flight manifest they seized while investigating Ong’s associates.
The jail term meted out to Iswaran was almost double the six to seven months’ jail the prosecution had sought. His lawyer, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, had asked not more than eight weeks’ jail.
In sentencing Iswaran, Justice Vincent Hoong said the prosecution and defence had asked for “manifestly inadequate” jail terms.
The judge said general deterrence, aimed at setting an example for others who commit offences, was the primary consideration in his sentencing decision.
He added that Iswaran, as a minister and chairman of the Formula One (F1) steering committee, wielded influence in matters of great public interest, even if there was no evidence the gifts had influenced decisions over F1 or its contracts. - The Straits Times/ANN
