Singapore Transport minister resigns following 27 charges including corruption

The transportation minister of Singapore has resigned from his position following charges of 27 offenses in a corruption investigation that has also included a billionaire hotel tycoon. In July 2023, S. Iswaran was taken into custody and later freed on bail as part of a unique high-level corruption probe in the city-state. When Iswaran, 61, appeared in court on Thursday, he announced that he would enter a not guilty plea to the charges brought by the influential Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. Shortly after the hearing on Thursday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong disclosed that Iswaran had formally been informed of the charges against him on January 16 and had subsequently submitted his resignation from the government, parliament, and ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) on that date. Iswaran has also pledged to return the money received as part of his salary and allowances since his arrest, Lee said. “I reject the allegations in the charges and will now focus on clearing my name,” Iswaran wrote in his resignation letter, which was published on the website of the prime minister’s office. Most of the charges against Iswaran relate to corruption, but he also faces one charge of obstruction of justice. Among other accusations, he is alleged to have accepted tickets to high-profile sporting events and stage shows from hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng, one of Singapore’s richest people. Ong, the managing director of Hotel Properties Limited, was arrested the same day as Iswaran in 2023 and also released on bail. Ong is credited with helping bring the Formula One Grand Prix to Singapore in 2008. “The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) will take a decision in respect of the investigations against Mr Ong and others, after the case against Mr S Iswaran has been completed,” the AGC said in a statement Thursday. - ‘Body blow’ - The graft investigation has gripped Singapore, a global financial hub reputed to be among the least corrupt countries in the world. Cabinet ministers are paid salaries comparable to the top earners in the private sector to deter corruption. Iswaran’s corruption case was the “most politically significant” in Singapore’s history, said Eugene Tan, an associate professor of law at Singapore Management University, describing it as a “body blow” for the PAP. “But I think the fair-minded observer will look at Singapore’s track record, will look at how this case has been dealt with so far, and will not come to the view that this strong anti-corruption stance is just mere talk,” he said. The alleged offences date back as far as 2015. Questions remain over why they were not discovered sooner, and “whether the degree of transparency and public reporting by senior officials in the Singapore system is sufficient”, said Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore. “They also raise questions about whether high pay is sufficient in discouraging corruption – people could always want more,” he added. Lee has previously admitted that his long-ruling PAP had “taken a hit” after a spate of political scandals. In addition to Iswaran’s arrest last year, two PAP legislators resigned because of an affair. Before that, two heavyweight cabinet members were investigated for allegedly getting favours in their rental of sprawling colonial-era bungalows, but were subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing. Lee has faced criticism over an alleged lack of transparency in how the government handled the scandals, as well as questions over whether the standards set by the party’s founding leaders have been eroded. The scandals come as the party – which has ruled uninterrupted for 64 years – bounced back from its worst ever election results in 2020, when its share of the popular vote fell and the opposition gained more seats.