Singapore ex-minister gets prison for taking gifts

When Iswaran discovered authorities were investigating Mr Ong’s associates he requested that Mr Ong bill him for his flight to Doha, Justice Hoong said on Thursday.

He acted with deliberation and premeditation, and in asking to be billed and paying for the ticket was trying to avoid investigations into the gifts, the judge added.

Iswaran was originally charged with 35 counts, including two counts of corruption, one charge of obstructing justice and 32 counts of “obtaining, as a public servant, valuable things”. But at a trial in late September, Iswaran pleaded guilty to lesser offences after the corruption charges were amended.

Lawyers did not confirm whether a plea deal had been reached.

“The system still works and there is still that public commitment. But this particular case is certainly not going to win the party any favours,” Mr Tan said.

The case against Iswaran is one of a series of political scandals that has rocked the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), which has long touted its strong stance against corruption and amoral behaviour.

In 2023, a separate corruption probe into the real estate dealings of two other ministers eventually cleared them of impropriety, while the speaker of Parliament resigned because of an extramarital affair with another lawmaker.

The property scandal raised questions about the privileged positions that ministers have in Singapore at a time of rising living costs.

Singapore must hold a general election by November 2025. The PAP’s share of the popular vote declined in the most recent elections, and it is facing a challenge to its decades-long one party dominance from an increasingly influential opposition party.

The Workers’ Party won a total of 10 seats in parliament in the last election, but has also been rocked by scandal. Its leader, Pritam Singh, has been charged with lying under oath to a parliamentary committee. He has rejected the accusations.