Former Singapore Transport Minister S. Iswaran He will go to prison this Monday October 7 to mark one year by deciding not to appeal the conviction for corruption crimes linked to the Formula One Grand Prix on the island, the first case of its kind in the prosperous Asian nation in decades.
According to the criteria of
“I accept full responsibility for my actions and apologize unreservedly to all Singaporeans,” the former minister posted today on his Facebook profile, announcing that will not file an appeal against the sentence issued last Thursday by a court in the country.
Iswaran, 62, had previously declared guilty on September 24, four crimes for violating the law that prohibits officials from obtaining high-value gifts and one for obstruction of justice, after the prosecution lowered the accusation.
Among the gifts, which he received as Transport Minister, were bottles of whiskey and wine, tickets to theater and sporting events, as well as international flights and hotel stays, valued together at about S$400,000. (310,000 US dollars or 280,000 euros), as exposed during the process.
The court, which recognized that Iswaran has returned almost the entire amount and several of the objects to the State, issued an exemplary sentence that exceeded the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, of between six and seven months in prison.
Some of these gifts were given by two businessmen, including the person in charge of bringing Formula One to the island, the magnate Ong Beng Seng.
On Friday, a day after Iswaran’s sentencing, Ong was charged in court with corruption and obstruction of justice in relation to gifts given to the then head of Transport.
The tycoon and the former minister worked together since the 2000s to bring Formula One to Singapore, which has hosted the racing competition’s first night circuit since 2008.
“Serving my constituents and Singaporeans over the past three decades has been the greatest honor of my life. Now that this chapter of my life comes to an end, My family and I look to the future with gratitude and renewed hope,” said Iswaran, who has held several ministerial portfolios since 2011.
The case is unusual in the prosperous city-state, a regional financial center that boasts a government corruption free and where cabinet members have some of the highest salaries in the world.
He is the Singaporean prime minister involved in a corruption case since 1986, when then National Development Minister Teh Cheang Wan was investigated for accepting bribes, while the last ministerial position to enter prison was that of the Environment, Wee Toon Boon, in 1975. for accepting a plot.
EFE AGENCY
#Singapore #minister #convicted #corruption #prison #failing #appeal #conviction