Singapore's former transport minister S Iswaran faces eight new ...
He's the former government minister credited with helping bring the revving engines of Formula 1 racing to the streets of Singapore but is now facing new corruption allegations, including one related to a folding bicycle.
Former transport minister S Iswaran has been slapped with eight additional charges — to make it a total of 35 offences — including obtaining bottles of whisky, golf clubs and a British-made bicycle worth $S7,907.50 ($8,986).
The 61-year-old appeared in court on Monday and was accused under Section 165 of Singapore's Penal Code, which makes it an offence for public servants to accept gifts in an official capacity.
Mr Iswaran has pleaded not guilty to all charges and says he's fighting to clear his name, having stepped down as a government minister in January.
The bicycle in question is a Brompton T line which has 1,200 individual pieces and can be carried in compact form after being folded.
Mr Iswaran is accused of receiving a UK-made Brompton bicycle in 2022, despite a ban on ministers receiving improper gifts. (Facebook: Brompton Australia)
Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said in a statement that Mr Iswaran illegally received the bike in June 2002, among other items that year and in 2021, for gifts totalling $S18,956.94 ($21,500) in value.
The last corruption case involving a high-ranking Singapore politician was in 1986 when national development minister Teh Cheang Wan was investigated for allegedly accepting bribes.
Mr Teh died by suicide at the age of 58 just a month after the allegations.
The charges against Mr Iswaran include corruption and obstructing the course of justice, which were levelled at him on January 18.
If convicted of graft, he could be fined up to $S100,000 ($114,000) or face seven years in prison for each charge.
The corruption charges relate to alleged bribes obtained from billionaire Ong Beng Seng as inducement for advancing the hotel tycoon's business interests in relation to agreements between race promoter Singapore GP and the Singapore Tourism Board.
Held at night on the streets of the city state, the Singapore Grand Prix attracts thousands of tourists every September.(AP: Wong Maye-E)
Mr Ong, who is chairman of Singapore GP, is credited with bringing the Formula 1 Grand Prix to Singapore, with Mr Iswaran's help.
Earlier charges accused Mr Iswaran of illegally obtaining, as a minister, items with a total value of more than $S200,000 ($227,000) from Mr Ong between November 2015 and December 2021.
These include tickets to the Singapore Grand Prix, Premier League football matches and musicals in Britain.
Mr Iswaran entered politics in 1997 and was promoted to a full minister in the Singapore government in 2011.
After appearing in court in January and released on $S800,000 ($908,000) bail, he issued a statement declaring his innocence and vowing to fight the charges.
He was allowed to leave Singapore for three weeks from February to visit his son who is starting university in Melbourne.
During the trip, Singapore media reported that Mr Iswaran was admitted to Cabrini Malvern private hospital for a respiratory illness and advised by his doctor not to travel for 12 days.
After his return to Singapore earlier this month, Mr Iswaran surrendered his passport to the authorities.
In February, the Singapore government announced that it was conducting an audit of the 2022 edition of the Singapore Grand Prix, following the allegations of corruption against Mr Iswaran.
The Singapore night race began in 2008 and is a hot tourist attraction on the street circuit next to the picturesque Marina Bay.
The Chennai-born Mr Iswaran, who has three children, graduated in economics with first-class honours from the University of Adelaide and also studied at Harvard University in the US.
The Singapore Grand Prix will next be held between September 22 and 24.
ABC/Wires
