Singapore, Jan 10 (PTI): A case of alleged corruption against Singapore’s Indian-origin Minister S Iswaran is being reviewed by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), parliament was told on Tuesday.
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) has concluded a “robust and thorough investigation” into the case against the transport minister, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in a written reply on behalf of the prime minister to an opposition lawmaker.
The alleged corruption-related probe stems from an earlier unrelated investigation into a matter. Further details have not yet been released about what Iswaran is being investigated for.
Iswaran was arrested by the graft busters on July 11, 2023. He is currently out on bail.
The matter is now before the AGC.
“It would therefore not be appropriate to comment on the matter at this juncture,” Channel News Asia quoted Chan as having told member of parliament Hazel Poa of the Progress Singapore Party.
“I understand that there is much public interest in this matter. I want to give my assurance that this case will be put through the due legal process,” said Chan.
In July 2023, Iswaran was instructed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to take leave of absence until the completion of the investigation.
Iswaran had his monthly pay reduced to SGD8,500 until further notice, though he continues to draw his MP allowance.
Property tycoon and promoter of Formula One race in Singapore, Ong Beng Seng, was also arrested on July 11 as part of the corruption probe. Ong brought Formula One, an international sporting event that the former minister has been linked to, to Singapore.
Iswaran was elected into Parliament in 1997 as a Member of Parliament under the ruling People’s Action Party and has served for the last 26 years.
He was promoted to full minister in the Prime Minister’s Office in 2011, and has held ministerial positions in the ministries of education, home affairs, and communications and information.
While not unprecedented, the ongoing investigations are rare in Singapore’s political landscape.
The last time a Cabinet minister was investigated by CPIB was in November 1986. Then National Development Minister Teh Cheang Wan was investigated for allegedly accepting bribes, according to a report by The Straits Times.
He died before he could be charged in court. PTI GS TIR TIR
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
