Ex-minister sentenced to a clean Singapore for corruption

Ex-minister sentenced to a clean Singapore for corruption

A court in Singapore sentenced a former minister to 12 months in prison on Thursday because he hindered the judiciary and accepted gifts worth over $ 300,000. This is the first conviction of a former cabinet member in the city state, which is known for its clean government.

conviction for corruption

s. In four cases of illegal reception of gifts and in a further case of the disability of the judiciary, Iswaran, who was a minister for more than 13 years and led the areas of trade, communication and traffic. The Court of Justice, 62 years old, had the deposit for the next few days and let him compete on Monday.

The shock wave in Singapore

This case caused excitement in Singapore because the country is proud of its well -paid and efficient bureaucracy as well as a strong and legally flawless government. According to the Corruption perception index of Transparency International, Singapore was one of the five most corrupt countries in the world last year.

past of corruption

The last corruption case that affected a Singaporian minister dated 1986. At that time, the Minister of National Development was examined for alleged bribes, but died before the indictment was raised. The current allegations have caused a sensation in the Asian financial center. It is about the claim that Iswaran, as Minister of Transport, has accepted generous gifts from business people, including tickets for Premier League games, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, London musicals and a flight with a private jet.

height of the gifts

The total value of these gifts was over $ 400,000 Singapore dollars ($ 309,000), according to the public prosecutor. Iswaran resigned as Minister of Transport after he was charged for the first time in January, and held the office for less than three years.

initial debt

originally said Iswaran said that he was innocent and would fight to wash his name in. Finally, however, he was guilty of five charges, two of which were originally related to corruption, but were converted in accusations for receiving gifts. While the public prosecutor initially confronted him with 35 offenses, she finally only used five charges.