AGC says it will make decision on Ong Beng Seng soon
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said it will take a decision in respect of property tycoon Ong Beng Seng soon, in the wake of S. Iswaran’s conviction.
Mr Ong is the chairman of Formula One (F1) race promoter Singapore GP. The 78-year-old was named in multiple charges Iswaran faced.
The Straits Times had asked AGC about the course of action it would take in light of the conviction on Sept 24 of the former transport minister.
Iswaran had pleaded guilty and was convicted of five charges on what was supposed to be the first day of his scheduled trial.
Four of the five charges Iswaran admitted to are for obtaining, as a public servant, valuable items from Mr Ong and Mr David Lum, managing director of mainboard-listed construction company Lum Chang Holdings.
Iswaran also admitted to one charge of obstructing the course of justice.
The obstruction charge relates to the $5,700 he repaid to Singapore GP for the cost of his business-class flight from Doha to Singapore that he took in 2022, at Mr Ong’s expense through the company.
In total, Iswaran was accused of obtaining items worth more than $400,000 from Mr Ong and Mr Lum.
The items included tickets to F1 races, football matches, bottles of whisky and a Brompton bicycle.
The AGC did not mention Mr Lum in their release. Both Mr Lum and Mr Ong have not been charged with any offence.
During the High Court hearing on Sept 24, Iswaran’s corruption charges were amended to charges under Section 165.
Section 165 of the Penal Code makes it an offence for a public servant to accept or obtain anything of value, for free or for inadequate payment, from anyone with whom he is involved in an official capacity.
In the release, AGC also explained that it had considered the challenges in proving the two corruption charges Iswaran was initially charged with.
“In deciding whether to amend the charges, AGC considered the litigation risks involved in proving the Prevention of Corruption Act charges beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, given that there are two primary parties to the transactions, and both would have an interest in denying corruption in the transactions.
“AGC also considered whether the amendment would lead to a fair and just outcome that is in line with the public interest,” said the spokesman.
Iswaran is expected to be sentenced on Oct 3.
The prosecution sought a jail term of six to seven months while the defence team asked for no more than eight weeks’ jail for Iswaran.
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