Just when you thought the Iswaran saga couldn’t get any more dramatic, the former transport minister’s sentencing hearing today (3 October 2024) delivered yet another plot twist.
A Sentencing That Was Unexpected
Former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran, 62, has been sentenced to 12 months in jail for obtaining valuable items as a public servant and obstructing justice. The sentencing took place today at the High Court, where Iswaran pleaded guilty to five charges last week.
Watch this video to learn more about the charges against Iswaran:
Justice Vincent Hoong, who presided over the case, rejected the sentencing recommendations from both the prosecution and defense.
The prosecution had sought a jail term of six to seven months, while the defense argued for no more than eight weeks’ imprisonment.
Justice Hoong deemed it necessary to impose a sentence exceeding both parties’ recommendations.
The judge examined two critical issues: the appropriate sentencing approach for a public servant obtaining valuable things from a person involved in business transactions and the appropriate reduction in sentence when applying sentencing guidelines to guilty pleas after an accused pleads guilty to multiple charges.
Justice Hoong highlighted several aggravating factors that influenced his decision, including the duration of Iswaran’s offending, the high office he occupied, and the overall harm to public interest and trust in public institutions.
The judge emphasized that Iswaran held “the highest level of executive office” and that the business transactions involved were “of wide public interest.”
Moreover, Justice Hoong expressed difficulty in believing Iswaran’s remorse, as the latter had made public statements rejecting the charges as false.
Following the sentencing, Iswaran remains out on bail of S$800,000, with his lawyer requesting a deferment of the jail term to 7 October.
This deferment is subject to the defense taking instructions from Iswaran, suggesting the possibility of an appeal. However, it remains unknown whether Iswaran will pursue an appeal at this time. He did not make any comment when he left the court.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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