Singapore former Transport Minister Iswaran will not appeal 12 months' jail sentence

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Singapore Transport Minister S. Iswaran has decided not to appeal the 12-month imprisonment term handed down by the High Court last week.

Iswaran, who was convicted after pleading guilty to four charges of obtaining valuable items as a public servant and one count of obstruction of justice, is scheduled to surrender to the court at 4 pm on Monday to begin his sentence.

The 62-year-old, in a statement, said he accepted full responsibility for his actions and apologised unreservedly to all Singaporeans.

"It was important to me that the Public Prosecutor amended the charges against me under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) to those under section 165 of the Penal Code regarding the acceptance of gifts by public servants.

"I accept that, as a Minister, what I did was wrong under section 165," he posted on Facebook on Monday.

Iswaran also thanked everyone who has stood resolutely by him, including family and friends.

"With this decision, I hope that we can put the pain and anguish behind us, move forward, and rebuild our lives together," he added.

Iswaran said that having served his constituents and Singaporeans over the past three decades has been the greatest honour for him.

"As this chapter of my life comes to a close, my family and I look to the future with gratitude and renewed hope," he said.

Iswaran initially faced 35 charges including two under the PCA.

The prosecution informed the court on the first day of the trial that it would proceed with the five charges, while the PCA charges were replaced with two charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code.

Another 30 charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Iswaran was accused of obtaining valuable gifts amounting to S$403,297.92, including 10 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix tickets, a business flight ticket, and hotel accommodation in Doha.

The obstruction of justice charge relates to the S$5,700 Iswaran repaid to Singapore GP Pte Ltd for the cost of his business-class flight ticket from Doha to Singapore that he took in 2022.

-- BERNAMA

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