Singapore-based tycoon charged in case linked to former Indian-origin minister's conviction

Singapore: A Singapore-based property tycoon was charged on Friday over his involvement in a case linked to former Indian-origin transport minister S Iswaran who was sentenced to jail in a corruption case.

Ong Beng Seng, 78, faces one count of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstructing justice.

Iswaran, who was sentenced to one year in jail on Thursday, pleaded guilty to obtaining items such as Formula 1 tickets and a trip to Doha from Ong.

According to court documents, Ong in December 2022 instigated Iswaran to obtain a valuable thing by offering him a trip from Singapore to Doha on his private plane with a value of about $7,700 (Rs 6,46,582).

He also arranged a one-night stay in a hotel in Doha with a value of SGD 4,737.63 (Rs 3,06,922) and a business class flight from Doha to Singapore with a value of SGD 5,700 (INR 3,69,206) for Iswaran, the Channel News Asia (CNA) reported.

The charge sheet states that Iswaran knew this was connected to the facilitation agreement for the Singapore Grand Prix 2022 to 2028, between Singapore GP and the Singapore Tourism Board, the report said.

Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters relating to the race.

Ong, who is the chairman of Formula One (F1) race promoter Singapore GP, was among several individuals called up by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) over the Iswaran probe.

Court documents for Iswaran’s case showed it was Ong who alerted him that the anti-graft body had seized the flight manifest for the trip in December 2022, prompting the former 62-year-old Cabinet minister to ask the tycoon to bill him for the flight to avoid investigations into the gifts.

This formed the basis of Iswaran’s obstruction of justice charge, which along with four other charges, led to the former minister being sentenced to 12 months jail on Thursday.

Ong was charged with abetment under Section 165, which makes it an offence for a public servant to accept anything of value from any person with whom they are involved in an official capacity without payment or with inadequate payment, The Straits Times reported.

He was also charged with abetment of obstruction of justice.

In court, Ong’s lawyer Aaron Lee said he needed time to take instructions from his client and make representations. He asked for a six-week adjournment and to move the case to a pre-trial conference.

The prosecution said it had no objections. The case was adjourned to Nov 15. Ong is known as the man who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008 – the first night race in the sport’s history. He owns the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix.