Iswaran set to be sentenced on Oct. 3. Here's what happened when he pleaded guilty.

Former transport minister S Iswaran, 62, pleaded guilty to criminal charges on Tuesday (Sep. 24).

Here's how the action went down at the Supreme Court.

4pm

Greeted by members of the media waiting for him at the entrance of the Supreme Court, Iswaran said, " I can’t say a lot. Let me just say a few words."

"My lawyers have stated the position clearly and as you’re well aware, the matter is now sub judice. So I just want to thank all of you for coming, and let’s see how it goes."

3:40pm

The case has been adjourned.

Iswaran's sentence will be delivered on Oct. 3 at 10am in the same court.

His bail will be extended.

3:15pm

Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong says the prosecution rejects any suggestion that there was no harm or little harm to the government's reputation.

"It is the government that the public servant owes the highest level of loyalty to. It would be wrong to say that because the givers felt no loss, that in itself should be mitigating," said Tai.

Tai acknowledged Iswaran's contributions to Singapore but they should not be a highly mitigating factor.

Tai said the sentence must signal to the public about the severity of the offence and that an eight-week sentence would give "entirely the wrong signal".

2:10pm

The court has stood down for a lunch break until 3.15pm.

The prosecution is expected to reply to the mitigation plea after the break.

12:40pm

On the prosecution’s argument that Iswaran's committing the offences as a minister impacted the government's integrity, Davinder Singh said it "cannot be right logically".

"The public and the world found out about the fact that Iswaran received items on the day that he was charged and because he was charged.

What that does is uphold and send the strongest signal that the Singapore government is upholding its long-standing commitment to integrity and honest government."

12:11pm

Davinder Singh has asked the judge to sentence Iswaran to not more than eight weeks in prison.

He said Iswaran had been forthcoming about the gifts he accepted during investigations.

Singh added that Iswaran "was not aware" of section 165 of the Penal Code during the offences but understands that "ignorance of the law is no excuse".

"It is the right thing to do to accept that he was wrong," Singh said. "He is also very mindful of not wanting the people he loves the most, his family, to bear the toll of what has happened."

11:40am

Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong is asking for a six- to seven-month jail term for Iswaran.

"The more senior the position of the public servant in question, the more serious the offence. The accused’s position as a Minister represents the highest level of executive office in the Singapore government," said Tai during his submissions.

"The Singapore government is well-known for its longstanding commitment to integrity and honest government. The accused’s acts have had a significant impact on this hard-earned reputation."

He said that the sentence the prosecution is asking for Iswaran is "proportionate", taking into consideration Iswaran's plea of guilt.

11:19am

The Statement of Facts has been read out, and the judge accepts Iswaran's plea of guilt.

It was revealed that Iswaran had paid the state S$380,000 and would forfeit the items he received.

@mothershipsg S Iswaran was facing 35 criminal charges, comprising 32 counts of obtaining valuables as a public servant, two counts of corruption and one of obstructing the course of justice. #sgnews #sgnewsupdate #iswaran #sgtiktok #singapore ♬ Serious / Serious / News / News BGM(1079115) - Hazumi

11am

Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong is elaborating on Iswaran’s obstruction of justice charge.

He said hotelier Ong Beng Seng had asked Iswaran if he would like to join him for a trip to Qatar in December 2022.

Ong is the majority shareholder of Singapore Grand Prix (SGP), which is responsible for organising and promoting the F1 Grand Prix.

Ong told Iswaran he would take care of him, which meant he would take care of all expenses on the trip.

Iswaran agreed and applied for urgent personal leave for the trip.

Iswaran flew to Doha on Dec. 10, 2022, via Ong’s private jet and checked into Four Seasons Hotel.

He then flew back to Singapore in a Qatar Airways business class. SGP paid for both the flight and Iswaran’s hotel stay.

Iswaran did not declare the flights to and from Doha and the stay at the hotel to the government.

In May 2023, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) seized the flight manifest of Ong’s private jet when investigating a separate matter.

Tai said that when Iswaran found out from Ong about this, he asked Ong to have SGP bill him for the trip.

“The accused’s act of making the payment is an act of obstructing justice as it would seem less likely he would be investigated for the Doha trip,” Tai said.

10:45am

"I plead guilty," says Minister of Transport S Iswaran.

The prosecution is reading out the Statement of Facts.

Iswaran is pleading guilty to five charges: Four charges under section 165 of the Penal Code, an offence of a public servant obtaining any valuable thing "without consideration" from a "person concerned in any proceeding or business transacted by such public servant. The fifth charge is for obstruction of justice under section 204A of the Penal Code.

10:00am

After High Court Justice Vincent Hoong, who is presiding over the trial, entered the courtroom, Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong addressed the court, stating that the prosecution will be proceeding on five charges.

Two of the initial charges, for alleged offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, have been amended to offences under section 165 of the Penal Code, which relates to a public servant obtaining any valuable thing "without consideration" from a "person concerned in any proceeding or business transacted by such public servant.

30 other charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing.

Davinder Singh said that, given the new developments, Iswaran might be "taking a certain course of action".

In court lingo, "taking a certain course of action" typically means that the accused will be considering to plead guilty.

9:45am

Iswaran is seated in the dock and looking sullen.

The courtroom is filled with people, with more than 40 members of the public sitting in the public gallery.

To accommodate more people, courtroom staff has brought in extra seats.

9:20am

Iswaran arrived at the Supreme Court at around 9:20am.

@mothershipsg He is the first cabinet minister in the history of Singapore to be charged with a criminal offence in court. #singapore #sgnews #sg #tiktoksg ♬ original sound - Mothership

He was swarmed by the reporters outside the court as he arrived.

When reporters asked about his thoughts on the trial, Iswaran did not reply.

He gave a slight wave and said, “Thank you everybody”.

9:00am

Senior Counsel Davinder Singh arrives. He's representing Iswaran for the trial.

8:30am

@mothershipsg Former Minister for Transport S Iswaran has pleaded guilty after his corruption charges were dropped. Previously, he faced 35 charges, two of which were corruption charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The two charges were amended to charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code. Under Penal Code of Section 165, it is an offence for a public servant to accept or obtain any thing of value, without payment or with inadequate payment, from any person with whom he is involved in an official capacity. #singapore #sgnews #tiktoksg #supremecourt #sg ♬ original sound - Mothership

A member of the public, Leong, 70, told Mothership he managed to get ticket number 17 at 7:30am.

He woke up at 6am to come for the trial.

Leong said he turns up to see high-profile cases and is a fan of Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, Iswaran’s defence lawyer.

“I want to see how the defence lawyer put up the case for him… because Davinder Singh is a top lawyer. So that’s what attracts me here. If he handles the case, I’ll try and attend.”

Sim, a retiree, came at 6:25am and got ticket number 5.

Sim wants to know how offences under Section 165 will be handled because it has implications for public servants receiving gifts.

“Coming to the Supreme Court is the best place to get an answer,” he said.

7:54am

Iswaran’s wife, Kay Mary Taylor, arrived at the Supreme Court at around 7:54am.

@mothershipsg Iswaran currently faces a total of 35 charges, comprising 32 counts of obtaining valuables as a public servant, two counts of corruption and one of obstructing justice. #singapore #sgnews #tiktoksg #sg ♬ original sound - Mothership

Members of the media were gathered outside the Supreme Court building.

A few barricades have been set up, with police regularly patrolling the area.

7am

The Supreme Court began distributing tickets after 7am to members of the public. Admission is strictly by tickets only.

45 are allowed to attend the trial.

Large packs of members of the media can be seen outside the building.

Background

@mothershipsg not sure what's going on? here's everything you need to know (so far) #tiktoksg #sgnews #iswaran ♬ original sound - Mothership

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 by Mothership