S Iswaran, Singapore's Transport Minister, leaves the Singapore State Courts in Singapore, Thursday, January 18, 2024. Iswaran has been charged with corruption, the latest development in the biggest political scandal to hit the city-state in nearly four decades. Photographer: Uri Hoying/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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The court on Monday charged former Transport Minister S Iswaran with eight additional charges, bringing the total number of charges against him to 35.
The former minister returned from a court-approved trip to Australia last week, after his trip was extended due to a bout of illness.
In January, Iswaran was charged with 27 charges, including corruption, and pleaded not guilty to those charges. According to local media, he also pleaded not guilty to the eight additional charges on Monday.
The new charges fall under Section 165 of Singapore's Penal Code, which deals with public officials who accept valuables from others without compensation or without adequate consideration. A person convicted under this section can be fined or sentenced to imprisonment for up to two years, or both.
Consideration refers to something of value that a party is not actually entitled to, that is given to the party in exchange for contractual promises.
According to CNBC's calculations of the latest charging papers, Iswaran improperly obtained items worth S$18,956.94, or $14,090.
They include accepting bottles of whiskey and wine, as well as golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle, from a person named Lom Kok Seng, according to the indictments.
A statement from Singapore's anti-corruption watchdog said the alleged crimes were committed between November 2021 and November 2022, and were related to Iswaran's official job as Transport Minister.
Under the January charges, Iswaran was accused of obtaining tickets to the Singapore Grand Prix and football matches and shows in the United Kingdom, allegedly provided by billionaire Ong Peng Seng.
According to CNBC's calculations, Iswaran received 116 tickets for the Singapore Grand Prix between 2016 and 2022, worth S$347,152.10 ($258,388.78). Race events were not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Malaysian billionaire Ong is credited with bringing Formula 1 to Singapore in 2008. In 2022, his privately owned company Singapore GP and the Singapore Tourism Board secured the rights to host the Singapore Grand Prix until 2028.
Last July, Singapore's anti-corruption agency arrested Ong as part of its investigations into Iswaran.
