Iswaran sentenced to 12 months in prison

Punishment almost double the jail time prosecution had sought; he has to surrender himself on Oct 7

- Nadine Chua, Wong Shiying and Andrew Wong

Former transport minister S. Iswaran was handed a 12-month jail term on Oct 3 in a landmark case that saw, for the first time, a former Cabinet minister being sentenced.

The punishment was almost double the six to seven months' jail the prosecution had sought.

Iswaran had on Sept 24 pleaded guilty to five charges - four for obtaining valuable items as a public servant from Mr Ong Beng Seng, chairman of Formula One race promoter Singapore GP, and Mr David Lum, managing director of construction company Lum Chang Holdings.

The fifth charge was for obstructing the course of justice by making payment of $5,700 for a business-class flight he had taken from Doha to Singapore in 2022 at Mr Ong's expense.

Meting out the sentence, Justice Vincent Hoong said what the prosecution and defence had asked for were "manifestly inadequate". Iswaran's lawyers had sought not more than eight weeks' jail.

Gasps were heard in the courtroom when the judge said this. Iswaran's wife, Ms Kay Mary Taylor, shook her head.

Justice Hoong emphasised that trust and confidence in public institutions are the bedrock of effective governance.

"This can all too easily be undermined by a public servant who falls below standards of integrity and accountability," he said.

The higher the office held by the offender as a public servant, the higher his level of culpability, the judge added.

"Holders of high office ordinarily wield a greater degree of potential influence over significant business transactions or proceedings and have a larger resultant impact on the public interest," he said.

Such individuals set the tone for public servants in conducting themselves to high standards of integrity, and they must avoid any perception that they are susceptible to influence by financial benefits," he added.