Members of the public showed up to attend the first day of the trial of former Minister for Transport S Iswaran on Sep. 24.

Among them were retirees who were interested in the broader implications that the case may have for public servants.

One said he was keen too watch the case because of Davinder Singh, Iswaran's defence lawyer.

Another member of the public arrived as early as 5am, according to CNA.

Iswaran faces a total of 35 charges, including 32 counts of obtaining valuables as a public servant, two counts of corruption, and one of obstructing justice.

Tickets given out

Tickets were given out by one of the security guards at the glass door.

As of 8am, 18 out of 45 tickets were given out.

At 8:20am, members of the public were directed to queue outside the courtroom, with 20 to 21 tickets having been given out by then.

Ticket distribution was done inside the building after that.

A member of public woke up as early as 6am to get a ticket

One of those in the queue, surnamed Sim, came down at 6:25am to get his ticket.

He told Mothership he managed to clinch the fifth ticket at 7am.

The elderly retiree, who said he regularly watches public trials, said he was interested in the implications Iswaran's case would have on public servants receiving gifts.

This is especially since this is the first time a case involving Section 165 of the Penal Code is heard in court, he explained.

The section makes it an offence for public servants to accept gifts from those involved with them in an official capacity.

Another onlooker, 70-year-old Leong, got up early at 6am to get a ticket to attend the trial.

The 17th ticket holder to the trial, Leong said he watches high profile cases.

He's especially interested in the trial since Davinder Singh is the defence lawyer and is curious to see how he will argue his case for Iswaran.

"So that’s what attracts me here. If he handles the case, I’ll try and attend," said Leong, adding that he could be described as a fan of the lawyer's.

Background

Iswaran's case came to light when CPIB found information during another investigation.

This started a quiet investigation in May 2023, and then-PM Lee was alerted to it on May 29, 2023.

On Jul. 5, 2023, CPIB told then-PM Lee they had attained adequate information to launch a formal investigation into Iswaran. The PM gave the director of CPIB his concurrence to launch a formal investigation.

Iswaran was subsequently arrested by CPIB on Jul. 11, 2023, on the same day as billionaire hotelier Ong Beng Seng.

Both were subsequently released on bail.

Iswaran was instructed to take a leave of absence until CPIB's investigations are completed.

He had no access to official resources and government buildings during his leave of absence.

On Jan. 18, 2024, Iswaran was handed 27 charges pertaining to corruption and obstructing justice.

He pleaded not guilty and released a statement saying, "I am innocent and will now focus on clearing my name."

He was then handed eight new charges on Mar. 25, bringing the total number of charges to 35.

According to the new charges, Iswaran allegedly obtained bottles of whisky, golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle from one Lum Kok Seng, whom Iswaran knew to be concerned in business transacted which had a connection with his official function as Minister for Transport.

Iswaran also pleaded not guilty to these charges.

On May 8, 2024, the High Court granted Iswaran's request for a joint trial for all criminal charges against him.

More than 50 witnesses have been listed for the trial, including Ong.

Iswaran then made three bids for the prosecution to hand over all the statements of the witnesses it intends to call at trial.

However, these were all rejected, CNA reported.

Iswaran's trial was initially set to begin on Sep. 10.

However, it was postponed to Sep. 24 after a joint request by Iswaran's legal team and the prosecution, according to the Attorney-General's Chambers.

Top image via Julia Yee and Matthias Ang/Mothership