SINGAPORE — Former Transport Minister S. Iswaran has applied to travel outside Singapore to help his son settle into an Australian university. This comes three weeks after he faced 27 charges, including corruption, and pleaded not guilty to all of them.
The Straits Times reported on Thursday (February 8) that prosecutors had imposed several conditions, including $500,000 cash bail, at Mr Iswaran’s request.
The former minister must also provide investigators with his travel itinerary and overseas address and remain reachable. He must also submit his travel documents within 24 hours upon his return to Singapore.
Iswaran, who is currently on $800,000 bail, appeared in state court at around 2.30pm on Thursday to apply for a non-jurisdictional permit, according to The Straits Times.
His case will also be transferred to the higher court, with prosecutors citing strong public interest as a reason.
Iswaran faces corruption allegations
Iswaran is accused of obtaining more than $200,000 worth of items from property tycoon Ong Ben Sen, who played a key role in bringing Formula One racing to Singapore in 2008. These items include tickets to the Singapore Grand Prix, a soccer match in the UK and a musical. .
The July 2023 arrest by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was part of a separate investigation that also led to Ong’s arrest.
Mr Iswaran has retained senior adviser Davinder Singh of Davinder Singh Chambers as his legal representative, and lead prosecutor Tan Kiat Peng is leading the prosecution. In a statement released after his January 18 court appearance, Iswaran expressed his innocence and expressed his focus on clearing his name. A pretrial conference was scheduled for March 1.
Mr Iswaran was elected Member of Parliament for West Coast GRC in 1997 and has held this position for the past 26 years. He was promoted to a full cabinet position in the Prime Minister’s Office in 2011. Following his indictment last month, he resigned both his posts and the People’s Action Party.
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