KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng, linked to a corruption scandal involving Singapore’s former transport minister S. Iswaran, has been charged with abetment of a public servant in receiving valuables and obstruction of justice in a Singaporean court.
These charges come just a day after Iswaran was sentenced to one year in prison, having pleaded guilty to four counts of receiving valuable items while in public office and one count of obstructing justice.
The 78-year-old property tycoon, who played a pivotal role in bringing the Formula 1 racing tournament to Singapore, now faces one charge each under Section 165 and Section 204A of Singapore’s Penal Code, as reported by Channel News Asia.
Section 165 relates to a public servant receiving valuables from a person involved in dealings with that public servant, while Section 204A deals with obstructing the course of justice.
Ong was arrested along with Iswaran on July 3 last year but was released on S$800,000 (around RM2.6mil) bail, according to court records.
His name had appeared in the initial graft charges against Iswaran, where the ex-minister was accused of corruptly receiving tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix from Ong.
Iswaran was also said to have received flights and accommodation in Doha from the billionaire, in connection with securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and a concert.
Following Iswaran’s guilty plea, the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore stated it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s case, according to Channel News Asia.
During a separate investigation, Ong’s name surfaced when a flight manifest revealed that Iswaran had flown on Ong’s private jet from Singapore to Doha in December 2022. Upon learning this manifest had been seized by investigators, Iswaran later paid S$5,700 to Ong, via Singapore GP, for the trip, forming the basis of the obstruction of justice charge. — October 4, 2024