Former transport minister S Iswaran is accused of accepting gratification from Ong Beng Seng and by doing so, helped advance Ong’ business interest in renewing the contract between local F1 organiser Singapore GP which Ong leads, and the Singapore government.
According to court documents, the value of gifts received by Iswaran totalled $384,340.98 comprising $218,058.95 under the Penal Code charges and $166,282.03 under the Prevention of Corruption Act charges.
Specifically, for the two PCA charges, in Sept 2022, Iswaran allegedly received tickets of various classes worth $145,434.
Three months later, in December 2022, Iswaran allegedly flew on Ong’s private jet from Singapore to Doha worth $10,410, stayed at Four Seasons Doha worth $4,737.63 and returned to Singapore from Doha via a business class flight worth $5,700.
In addition, Iswaran faces an obstruction of justice charge as well. According to the prosecution, on May 25 2023, Iswaran made a repayment of $5,700 to Singapore GP – the cost of the business class flight from Doha back to Singapore “which is an act that has a tendency to obstruct the course of justice, knowing that the act is likely to obstruct the course of justice, and you have thereby committed an offence punishable” under s 204A(a) of the Penal Code 1871.
The remaining 24 charges details tickets to concerts, shows, musicals, football matches in the UK given by Ong and his related entities to Iswaran. These took place as far back as 2015 and as recent as December 2021.
The string of alleged offences started in November 2015 when Iswaran obtained two tickets to “Thriller” worth £200 ($429.94).
In the same month, he received two tickets worth £270 to “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”.
Iswaran received two tickets to the football match for West Ham United FC v Everton FC (Boleyn Ground) worth about £468, and another two tickets to an Arsenal FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC (Emirates) worth about £550.
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In September 2016, Iswaran received 10 Green Room tickets to the 2016 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix worth about $42,265.
At the following year’s Singapore F1, Iswaran again received 10 Green Room tickets worth $42,265; received five Boardwalk tickets worth about $40,000.
Similar tickets were given by Ong to Iswaran regularly in subsequent years.
