Singaporean minister of transport S. Iswaran yesterday resigned after being charged with corruption in the biggest political scandal in almost four decades, which has cast a pall on the city-state known for clean governance.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) accepted Iswaran’s resignation as a Cabinet minister and lawmaker, Lee’s office said in a statement.
Iswaran, who is out on bail, rejected the 27 charges against him, including allegedly obtaining tickets to musicals and soccer matches in the UK.
Photo: AFP
“I am determined to uphold the integrity of the party and the government, and our reputation for honesty and incorruptibility,” Lee said in the statement, referring to the ruling People’s Action Party. “Singaporeans expect no less.”
Iswaran, 61, is the first key minister to get embroiled in a graft probe since 1986 when then-minister for national development Teh Cheang Wan (鄭章遠) was investigated for accepting bribes. Teh denied receiving the money and died before he could be formally charged.
Iswaran and property tycoon Ong Beng Seng (王明星) were arrested in July last year in a case that has challenged Singapore’s reputation for clean governance at a time when Lee is seeking to step aside after almost two decades leading the country.
“I reject the allegations in the charges and will now focus on clearing my name,” Iswaran wrote in his resignation letter to Lee that was made public after the charges were announced.
The former politician was slapped with an array of charges that spanned from 2015 to May last year. They included two counts of corruption, 24 counts of obtaining “valuable things” from someone he had business dealings with as a public servant, and one for obstructing justice. If convicted, he faces fines and a possible jail term.
“This is not just a legal battle for Iswaran and the public prosecutor,” said Eugene Tan, a law professor at Singapore Management University. “There is now a political battle for the government to renew trust and confidence to the voters that they have an upright system.”
Lee, 71, is expected to hand over the reins to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), by November in a long-telegraphed succession.
Wong yesterday said those plans remain on track.
“As far as the impact on succession is concerned, there will be no impact,” Wong told reporters. “Will this incident have an impact on the party and party morale? I have no doubt that it will, but we cannot allow this political hit to compromise our zero-tolerance stance against corruption.”
The charges against Iswaran include favors the former minister allegedly obtained from Ong such as tickets to musicals on the West End from Kinky Boots and The Book of Mormon to Waitress. He also allegedly obtained tickets to UK soccer matches, took a flight on Ong’s private jet, a S$4,738 (US$3,526) stay for one night at the Four Seasons Doha and tickets to the F1 in Singapore.
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