The state court in Singapore charged Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng with abetting jailed former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran and with obstruction of justice.

According to Channel News Asia, Ong, 78, the owner of Hotel Properties Ltd and the rights holder of the Singapore Grand Prix Formula One race, was charged with graft.

He allegedly gave gifts worth about S$384,000 (RM1.3 million) to Iswaran, who was sentenced to prison yesterday.

The two charges read in court were Section 165 of the Penal Code on a public servant obtaining valuables from a person involved in a proceeding or business with the public servant, while Section 204A of the Penal Code pertains to obstructing justice.

Iswaran was first implicated in charges related to Ong when he was handed 27 charges on Jan 18.

They included two counts under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 24 under Section 165, and one under Section 204A of the Penal Code.

State court of Singapore

The corruption charges alleged that Iswaran received bribes from Ong in exchange for advancing Ong’s business interests, specifically in deals between Singapore GP and the Singapore Tourism Board.

Iswaran was reportedly accused of accepting Singapore Grand Prix tickets, a private flight to Doha in Qatar, a stay at the Four Seasons Doha, and a business class return flight, with a total value of approximately S$166,282 (RM540,000).

Iswaran’s 24 charges under Section 165 also involved Ong, with court documents indicating he received valuable items worth around S$218,000 (RM710,000), including tickets to events.

On March 25, Iswaran faced further charges, with eight more counts under Section 165 related to receiving items from Lum Kok Seng, managing director of Singapore-based Lum Chang Holdings. Lum has not been charged.

Initially set for trial, Iswaran instead pleaded guilty on Sept 24 after his corruption charges were downgraded to lesser offences under Section 165, which carries a lighter penalty.

He admitted to four charges under Section 165 and one under Section 204A, with other charges considered during sentencing.

Iswaran was sentenced to one year in prison and is scheduled to begin his sentence on Oct 7.

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