Singapore Parliament waiting for outcome of Indian-origin minister's court case

Singapore: Before deciding upon a Committee of Inquiry (COI) in Indian-origin minister S. Iswaran's case, the Singapore Parliament will wait for the court case against him to conclude, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah said on Monday.

Iswaran stepped down as Transport Minister last month after facing 27 charges of offences in a corruption probe, which saw him getting arrested in July 2023 and later released on bail.

Responding to an MP's question in the parliament, Rajah said: “The purpose of a COI is to investigate something with a view of finding out how it happened," The Straits Times reported.

"In this case, the CPIB (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) has investigated the matter. Based on the investigations, the Attorney General’s Chambers took the view that there is a basis for criminal charges to be brought against Iswaran.

"Determination of criminal offences is a matter for the court, which is currently dealing with the case. We should wait for the court proceedings to conclude before deciding if anything else needs to be done," Rajah said.

She added that everyone who is alleged to have committed wrongdoing, including MPs, should be given due process.

Arriving at the State Courts on January 18, Iswaran pleaded not guilty to 27 charges -- two counts of corruption, 24 counts of obtaining items from someone he had business dealings with as a public servant, and one of obstructing the course of justice.

According to court documents, most of the offences Iswaran faces involve billionaire hotelier Ong Beng Seng, who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008. The chargesheet states that Iswaran received "valuable things" worth more than S$384,000 (US$285,000) from Ong between 2015 and 2022.

These ranged from tickets to shows, private plane rides, hotel stays, football matches, and various editions of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix.

In his statement to the media on January 18, Iswaran said he would return his reduced monthly salary of SG$8,500 a month and the MP allowance he had received since the start of investigations in July 2023.

"My family and I have decided to return the monies because we cannot in all good conscience benefit from them when I was unable, on account of the investigations, to discharge my duties as a minister and Member of Parliament," he said in a letter to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Iswaran’s pre-trial conference is scheduled for March 1.