Former Singapore transport minister sentenced to one year in prison over gifts

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Singapore's former transport minister S. Iswaran was sentenced to a year in prison for accepting gifts worth more than $300,000 and obstructing justice as a public servant, local media reported, in a rare bribery case involving a government official in the Asian financial hub was.

The prison sentence handed down on Thursday was longer than the six to seven months sought by prosecutors for Iswaran, who was instrumental in bringing the Formula One Grand Prix to Singapore.

Iswaran, 62, was ordered to surrender on October 7 to begin his prison sentence, Singapore's Channel News Asia and The Straits Times reported.

He pleaded guilty last month to four counts of theft of valuable property and one count of obstruction of justice, although he had previously denied wrongdoing and vowed to clear his name.

Singapore prides itself on its reputation for clean governance and transparency, and the city-state's ministers are among the highest paid in the world, earning about S$1 million (US$772,000) a year, partly to prevent corruption.

Iswaran's sentence marks the first time a former minister has been jailed in Singapore in nearly 50 years. In 1975, Wee Toon Boon was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for accepting gifts from a businessman. His prison sentence was reduced to 18 months on appeal.

Another cabinet minister, Teh Cheang Wan, was investigated for accepting bribes in 1986, but died before charges were brought.

Iswaran was accused of receiving gifts worth S$403,297.92 from two local businessmen during his term as minister. He has returned S$380,305.95 to the government.

The gifts reportedly included tickets to English Premier League football matches, Formula One races and plays Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hamilton And Kinky bootsand a business class flight from Doha to Singapore in 2022, prosecutors said.

As part of the investigation, Singapore authorities also seized wine, whiskey, golf clubs and a Brompton T-Line bicycle.

Singapore will hold elections next year after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong took office in May as the fourth head of state and only the second outside the founding Lee family.

The ruling People's Action Party, which has governed the city-state since independence in 1965, is expected to win, but its reputation has been tarnished by a series of scandals, including corruption allegations against Iswaran.