The first tranche of trial dates for former transport minister S Iswaran is now fixed for Sep. 10 to 13, 2024.

His trial was initially scheduled to start on Aug. 13, but the dates have since been vacated "at the defence counsel's request", said an Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) spokesperson.

Iswaran is represented by a team of lawyers led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh.

Iswaran's lawyers previously requested for witnesses' statements

The new trial dates came approximately a month after a High Court judge rejected a request by Iswaran's counsel that the prosecution hand over the statements of all the witnesses, according to CNA.

More than 50 witnesses were listed for his trial, including Iswaran's wife, Taylor Kay Mary, and Ong Beng Seng, the founder of hotel operator Hotel Properties known for bringing F1 to Singapore.

Iswaran was accused of receiving more than S$360,000 worth of tickets to football matches, Grand Prix F1, and shows from Ong.

Iswaran faces 35 charges, pleads not guilty

Iswaran faces a total of 35 charges, including criminal charges of obtaining valuables as a public servant, corruptive charges of receiving gratification, and obstructing justice.

A total of 27 of these charges pertain to Iswaran's dealings with Ong, while the rest involve Lum Kok Seng, the managing director of Singapore construction firm Lum Chang Holdings.

According to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), Iswaran allegedly obtained valuable things with a total value of about S$18,956.94 from Lum.

The former transport minister pleaded not guilty to all these charges and is currently out on bail.

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Top image via Mothership