This Thursday, October 3, a Singapore court sentenced former Minister of Transport, Subramaniam Iswaran, to twelve months in prison, following the first corruption trial involving a political figure in the city-state for more than forty years .
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Subramaniam Iswaran, former transport minister, was found guilty a week earlier of five counts, relating to valuable gifts, illegal in view of his office, and obstruction of justice. The prosecution had requested a sentence of six to seven months. But High Court Justice Vincent Hoong said on Thursday that it would have been “ clearly inadequate “, given the impact of the case on public confidence. “ Trust in public institutions is the foundation of effective governance, which can be very easily eroded if a public official does not appear to meet standards of integrity and accountability. “, Mr Hoong said as he handed down the increased sentence.
Reputation
The 62-year-old former minister became known for attracting Formula 1 races to the Southeast Asian country. He resigned in January 2024 after being indicted. His trial was considered by observers to be one of the most politically significant in the history of the small city-state. The case also risks damaging the reputation of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) ahead of legislative elections due to be held by November 2025. The former minister’s lawyers have called for his sentence to take effect on October 7, local media reported. The court then asked him to appear in court that day.
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Mr. Iswaran was initially charged with 35 counts. But prosecutors ultimately decided to prosecute him for only five of them, of lesser gravity. The former minister repaid some $295,000 in financial gains to the government, and some of the gifts received, including a Brompton bicycle, were seized, the attorney general’s office said. The Iswaran trial is considered by observers to be one of the most important in the history of Singapore.
Last conviction for corruption in 1975
The last corruption conviction of a high-ranking politician was in 1975, when Wee Toon Boon, then Minister of State for Environment, was found guilty of accepting bribes worth of more than $600,000, according to local media. Singapore was ranked 5th least corrupt in the world out of 180 countries last year, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
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