Advertising
Supported by
Accused of accepting tickets to “Hamilton,” air travel and soccer games in Britain, the transport official resigned before he pleaded not guilty in court.
By Sui-Lee Wee
This is an unprecedented series of occasions in Singapore: a government minister accused of corruption and then brought to justice.
Transport Minister S. Iswaran was officially charged on Monday with accepting bribes, adding a personal plane and tickets to the musical “Hamilton” and football matches in Britain. By the time he appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty, he had resigned from office.
Singapore has long touted an impeccable symbol and lack of grafts. But in recent months, several scandals have tarnished the reputation of the ruling Popular Action Party and, indeed, that of the country.
Allegations of wrongdoing involving Iswaran became public in July. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ordered him to take a leave of absence while the government investigated Mr. Loong’s relationships. Iswaran involves a billionaire who helped organize the Formula 1 race in Singapore. The fees he was opposed to comes with two counts of bribery and one count of obstruction of justice. He also faces 24 counts of “obtaining, as a public servant, things of value” worth more than thousands of dollars.
We are retrieving the content of the article.
Please allow javascript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience as we determine access. If you’re in Reader mode, log out and log in to your Times account or subscribe to the full Times.
Thank you for your patience as we determine access.
Already a subscriber? Sign in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Advertising