SINGAPORE: A Singaporean former minister was sentenced on Thursday to 12 months in prison for obstruction of justice and accepting illegal gifts in the city-state’s first political graft trial for nearly half a century.

Ex-transport minister S Iswaran, known for helping bring Formula One to the financial hub, was hit this year with 35 charges mostly related to graft in a nation often cited as one of the world’s least corrupt.

Iswaran’s sentence was more severe than the six to seven months requested by the prosecution, which High Court Justice Vincent Hoong said would have been “manifestly inadequate” given the impact of the case on public trust.

“Trust and confidence in public institutions are the bedrock of effective governance, which can all too easily be undermined by the appearance that an individual public servant has fallen below the standards of integrity and accountability,” Hoong said on Thursday when he delivered the sentence.

Iswaran was convicted last week of obstruction of justice and accepting illegal gifts after prosecutors moved forward with five lesser charges only, including some related to a billionaire property tycoon.

His defence team asked for Iswaran’s jail term to commence on Oct 7, local media reported. The court then asked the 62-year-old to surrender himself at 4pm at the State Courts that day.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2024