Singapore gears up for biggest corruption trial in decades

Singapore – Singapore, a nation consistently ranked as among the least corrupt in the world, is gearing up for that rarest of things: a high-profile corruption trial.

S Iswaran, a former transport minister best known for his role in helping to bring the Formula One (F1) night race to Singapore, is the first political officeholder in almost four decades to face a corruption investigation.

The 62-year-old goes on trial on Tuesday, September 24, on 35 charges of obtaining valuables as a public servant, corruption and obstructing the course of justice. Civil servants and political officeholders are prohibited from accepting gifts valued above 50 Singapore dollars ($38) in the course of their duties.

The father of three is accused of accepting more than 400,000 Singapore dollars ($306,000) in gifts from two businessmen: Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng, who was also instrumental in securing the F1 race, and Lum Kok Seng, a man with strong ties to grassroots organisations in Iswaran’s former electoral ward. The gifts include tickets to West End musicals, flights, bottles of whisky, English Premier League match tickets and even a Brompton bicycle.

Neither Ong nor Lum have been charged with any offence.

“I reject the charges and am innocent,” Iswaran wrote in a letter to then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on January 17, the day before he was charged. He later added through his lawyers that he did not know the gifts from two men he regarded as close friends could be considered “veiled gratification”. He stepped down from office and quit the long-ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in January, shortly before he was formally charged.

“The Government has dealt with this case rigorously in accordance with the law, and will continue to do so,” Lee said in a statement at the time. “I am determined to uphold the integrity of the Party and the Government, and our reputation for honesty and incorruptibility. Singaporeans expect no less.”

Most of the charges Iswaran is facing come under a rarely-used provision of the Penal Code that has been part of the city-state’s criminal legislation since 1871, according to the Straits Times newspaper. The provision makes it an offence for a public servant to accept or obtain anything of value, for free or for inadequate payment, from any person with whom they are involved in an official capacity.

Iswaran’s legal team is led by former PAP lawmaker Davinder Singh, a senior counsel who has often represented Lee, as well as his late father Lee Kuan Yew. Among the 56 prosecution witnesses is Iswaran’s wife. The first part of the trial will continue until September 27.

Iswaran (second left) at the groundbreaking ceremony for the F1 pit building in 2007 next to businessman Ong Beng Seng (left)) [Ian Timberlake/AFP]

In a country that has only ever known one governing party, polls consistently show high levels of trust in the government. But the Iswaran saga emerged months after former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan Jin – a man once tipped as a possible future prime minister – resigned in July 2023 after admitting to an extramarital affair with a fellow lawmaker. The MP also stepped down.

The trial also comes nearly five months into the term of new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and with a general election due by November 2025. “The Iswaran trial must be a significant factor in Wong’s mind while he is deciding about when to go to the polls,” associate professor Michael Barr of Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia told Al Jazeera.

“They would prefer to have the trial either well in the future or long in the past, so it can be kept out of sight and out of mind.”

While independent political observer Felix Tan considers the case a “small blip” in the track record of good governance in Singapore, he warns there is also a risk for the governing party.

“The primary challenge for the PAP government lies in maintaining public trust,” Tan said. “There is apprehension regarding the nature and extent of sensitive information that Mr Iswaran might disclose during the trial proceedings.”

What do Singaporeans think?

According to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) – in common with the likes of Transparency International – corruption is “receiving, asking for or giving any gratification to induce a person to do a favour with a corrupt intent”.

This is the first corruption probe involving a minister since 1986, when former Minister for National Development Teh Cheang Wan was accused of accepting 1 million Singapore dollars ($775,000) in bribes. Teh took his own life before investigations could be completed.

There was public disquiet in July when it emerged that Iswaran had already been arrested and released as part of the ongoing probe by the CPIB – something the agency had neglected to mention when it first announced that the former minister was assisting with investigations.

But Tan notes that the case has been “lingering” for months. “Singaporeans have already moved on to ‘other news’. They are more concerned about their immediate interests, such as the economy, businesses and the cost of living.”

Public sentiment towards the PAP remains largely positive. A survey conducted last month by market research company Blackbox, after Wong delivered a major political speech, showed that the PAP enjoyed a positive rating among more than half of respondents. Blackbox added that the PAP is in a “reasonable position”.

Analysts told Al Jazeera that Iswaran’s trial was unlikely to affect Wong, given that it could be considered a “remnant” of Lee’s leadership. The Blackbox survey also saw more than half of respondents rating the new prime minister’s performance so far as “good”, while 17 percent rated it as “excellent”.

“I do not foresee that this case will have much of an impact on Lawrence Wong’s premiership,” said Tan. “That said, there might still be some trickle-down effects, such as whether this case is a reflection of the new crop of 4G leadership [Singapore’s terminology for its new generation of political leaders] and the failure of government institutions.”