Former transport minister S Iswaran arrives at Supreme Court for 1st day of corruption trial

Former Minister for Transport S Iswaran appeared at the Supreme Court on September 24, 2024, for the first day of his trial.

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.

Arrival

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

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

Others spotted

Iswaran's wife, Kay Mary Taylor, arrived at the Supreme Court at around 7:54am. She is listed as a witness for the trial.

Iswaran's lawyer, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, arrived alone at the Supreme Court at 9:10am.

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 Lum Kok Seng, whom Iswaran knew to be concerned with business transactions connected to 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 photos via Mothership & Google Maps