Singapore’s former Transport Minister Ie Wah Lan arrives at the Supreme Court of Singapore on September 24, 2024.
Reuters | Caroline Xie
Singapore’s former transport minister Ie Swaran has pleaded guilty to accepting gifts while in office, according to local media reports, as a rare corruption case involving a state official in the Asian financial hub begins on Tuesday.
The case has drawn attention in the wealthy city-state, which prides itself on high salaries, an efficient bureaucracy and strong governance. Yi Hualan joined the cabinet in 2006 and was the first Singaporean minister to stand trial.
The 62-year-old was arrested in July last year and accused of accepting kickbacks worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, in part to promote Ong Beng Seng’s business interests. Ong has not been charged with any crime.
Iswaran previously denied the accusations when he resigned from the cabinet.
He pleaded guilty in court to charges of perverting the course of justice, as well as a charge of a public servant receiving anything of value from a person with whom he had an official relationship without payment or in full, Channel News Asia reported.
Prosecutors also reduced the number of charges Iswaran faced from 35 to five, CNA reported. The remaining 30 charges will be considered at sentencing.
The charge of accepting gifts carries a penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine. Iswaran can be jailed for up to seven years and fined for perverting the course of justice.
The last corruption case involving a Singaporean minister was in 1986, when the National Development Minister was investigated for allegedly accepting bribes. The minister died before being charged in court.
According to the charge sheet in January, benefits Iswaran allegedly received included tickets to Premier League football matches, musicals, flights on Wang’s private jet and tickets to the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix.
Iswaran is an advisor to the Grand Prix Steering Committee, while Ong owns the rights to the competition.
Singapore last year ranked among the five least corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
