Singaporean property tycoon Ong Beng Seng pleaded guilty on Monday to one charge of obstructing justice in a high-profile case that led to the imprisonment of former transport minister Subramaniam Iswaran last year.
Both the prosecution and defence requested judicial mercy due to Ong’s chronic illness, asking the court to impose a fine instead of a jail sentence.
He will be sentenced on 15 August.
A second charge of abetting an offence was taken into consideration.
Judicial mercy in Singapore allows courts to issue more lenient sentences under exceptional circumstances, such as terminal illness or when imprisonment may endanger a person's life.
The defence said Ong suffers from multiple myeloma, a type of incurable blood cancer that leaves him immunocompromised.
According to prosecutors, Ong had informed Iswaran that his associates were questioned and that a private flight manifest bearing Iswaran’s name for a Singapore-to-Doha trip had been seized by anti-graft investigators.
This prompted Iswaran to ask Ong to issue an invoice through Singapore GP, the promoter of the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, to bill him for the trip – a move prosecutors say Iswaran believed would reduce the likelihood of an investigation.
Iswaran, who was jailed for 12 months in October 2024 for obstructing justice and accepting more than $300,000 in gifts, became the first former cabinet minister in Singapore to be imprisoned.
He was placed under house arrest in February to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Ong had also provided Iswaran with tickets to English Premier League matches, the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, London musicals, and a private jet ride, among other favours.
Iswaran served as an adviser to the Singapore Grand Prix’s steering committee, while Ong, 78, holds the rights to the race.
The billionaire stepped down as managing director of Singapore-listed Hotel Properties in April.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed Greenland’s rejection of U.S. control, responding sharply to remarks by the island’s prime minist...
A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person, injured four others and sparked fires at an unidentified industrial facility in the southern Russian city ...
Iran’s nationwide anti-government protests have killed at least 2,571 people, according to updated figures from a U.S.-based rights group, as unrest...
Boeing booked more aircraft orders than Airbus in 2025 for the first time since 2018, official figures showed, even as the European manufacturer deliv...
Business and political leaders are gathering in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s(WEF) annual meeting as uncertainty over the global economic and...
Boeing booked more aircraft orders than Airbus in 2025 for the first time since 2018, official figures showed, even as the European manufacturer delivered more planes during the year.
Business and political leaders are gathering in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s(WEF) annual meeting as uncertainty over the global economic and political order deepens, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies challenging long-standing international norms.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Tuesday that authorities seized 6,850 kilograms of drugs in the southern state of Bolívar as part of an anti-narcotics operation earlier this month.
Greenlanders voiced support for diplomacy ahead of high-level talks in Washington on Wednesday, following renewed threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to take control of the Arctic territory.
Real Madrid have parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, appointing former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.
Israel has sharply escalated its warnings to Lebanon amid rising regional tensions linked to Iran, according to a report by the Lebanese newspaper Nida Al Watan.
The U.S. has issued an urgent security notice calling all American citizens to leave Iran immediately, citing escalating protests, growing violence and widespread communication shutdowns across the country.
Iranian authorities have taken steps to disrupt access to Starlink satellite internet, according to users and digital-rights groups, in what appears to be the latest effort to tighten control over people’s access to the internet inside the country.
The United Nations’ top court at The Hague has begun hearings on whether Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority. Gambia told judges on Monday that Myanmar targeted minority Muslim Rohingya for destruction and made their lives a nightmare in a landmark case.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed Greenland’s rejection of U.S. control, responding sharply to remarks by the island’s prime minister and signalling continued interest in the Arctic territory.
A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person, injured four others and sparked fires at an unidentified industrial facility in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, regional officials said on Wednesday.
Iran’s nationwide anti-government protests have killed at least 2,571 people, according to updated figures from a U.S.-based rights group, as unrest continues to pose one of the most serious challenges to the country’s clerical leadership in years.
Business and political leaders are gathering in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s(WEF) annual meeting as uncertainty over the global economic and political order deepens, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies challenging long-standing international norms.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Tuesday that authorities seized 6,850 kilograms of drugs in the southern state of Bolívar as part of an anti-narcotics operation earlier this month.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment