Singaporean Minister Nebeng Private Jet Sentenced To 1 Year In Prison

JAKARTA - The Singapore court sentenced a former minister to 12 months in prison for obstructing justice and receiving gratuities prizes worth more than 300,000 Singapore dollars. This verdict is the first sentence for a former cabinet member in a country known to be clean of corruption cases.

S. Iswaran, a cabinet member for 13 years and holds a position in the fields of trade, communications and transportation, last week pleaded guilty to four counts of accepting gratuities and one charge obstructing justice.

The sentence imposed was heavier than the sentence of six to seven months requested by the prosecutor.

"The trust and belief in public institutions is the basis of an effective government, which can be easily undermined by the impression that a civil servant is under the standard of integrity and accountability," the judge said when imposing a sentence on Iswaran.

The case shocked Singapore, which is proud to have a high-paying and efficient bureaucracy and a strong and clean government.

Singapore is one of the five countries with the least level of corruption in the world last year, according to Transparency International's corruption perception index.

The latest corruption case involving a Singaporean minister occurred in 1986, when his national development minister was investigated on suspicion of bribery but died before any charges were brought to court.

The investigation began when Iswaran became the minister of transportation receiving expensive gifts from businessmen, including tickets to English Premier League football matches, Singapore's Formula 1 Grand Prix, musical performances in London, and private jets.

The value amounts to more than USD 400,000, according to prosecutors.

The judge allowed the 62-year-old man to remain on bail for the next few days and began his prison sentence on Monday.

Iswaran initially said he was innocent and would struggle to clear his name, but last week he pleaded guilty to five charges filed in court.