00:00A Singapore court on Thursday sentenced a former transport minister to 12 months in
00:06jail in the first imprisonment of an ex-cabinet member in a city-state known for clean governance.
00:12S. Iswaran, who was a minister for 13 years, had pleaded guilty to four counts of receiving
00:17more than $300,000 worth of gifts and one of obstructing justice, after prosecutors
00:23went ahead with only five of the 35 charges.
00:26The court said Iswaran would be allowed to remain on bail for the next few days and begin
00:30his jail term on Monday, October 7.
00:33The case has gripped the wealthy city-state which prides itself on having a well-paid
00:37and efficient bureaucracy as well as strong governance.
00:41Iswaran joined the cabinet in 2006 and has held the trade, communications and transport
00:47portfolios.
00:48While serving as a Minister of State at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, he attended
00:53various events linked to the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix 2008 alongside property
00:57tycoon Ong Beng Seng, after Singapore won a five-year deal to host the race.
01:02While serving as a Second Minister at the Ministry of Home Affairs, in 2014, Iswaran
01:07presided at an event to officially open the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation Centre
01:13in Singapore.
01:15As Singapore's Minister of Transport in March 2022, Iswaran inspected Changi Airport to
01:21oversee its readiness ahead of the reopening of Singapore's borders to vaccinated travellers
01:26following the COVID-19 pandemic.
01:28Facing corruption charges, Iswaran sent his resignation letter to the then Prime Minister
01:33Lee Hsien Loong in January this year, in which he rejected the charges.
01:37Iswaran is alleged to have obtained kickbacks valued at S$384,341 or S$286,181 from Ong,
01:50partly to advance the property tycoon's business interests.
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