Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat was promoted to full Minister and will be appointed Minister for Transport following the resignation of former Transport Minister S Iswaran, announced the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Jan. 18, 2024.

Chee was also appointed Second Minister for Finance.

Concurrently, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu will assume the responsibility of the Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, the title Iswaran used to hold at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).

These changes will take effect today (Jan. 18), added PMO.

Iswaran facing 27 charges

PMO's announcement came after Iswaran was handed 27 charges by the court on the morning of Jan. 18.

These charges include criminal charges of obtaining any valuable thing from a person concerned in any related proceeding or business as a public servant, obstructing justice, and corruption charges of receiving gratification.

Iswaran pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently out of bail for S$800,000.

Background

On Jan. 9, 2024, Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing revealed on behalf of the Prime Minister that the CPIB investigation on Iswaran was completed and handed over to the Attorney-General's Chamber for review.

A quiet probe involving Iswaran was launched in May 2023 after CPIB came across the issue "while doing another investigation," according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

PM Lee was alerted to the investigation on May 29, 2023, and was informed by the bureau that it had attained adequate information to launch a formal investigation into Iswaran on Jul. 5, 2023.

After PM Lee gave the director of CPIB his concurrence to launch a formal investigation, CPIB arrested Iswaran on Jul. 11, 2023, the same day as billionaire hotelier Ong Beng Seng.

Iswaran was released on bail and was instructed by PM Lee to take a leave of absence until CPIB's investigations are completed.

Top images via Chee Hong Tat & Grace Fu/Facebook, Mothership