Iswaran’s trial to begin on Sep 10

SINGAPORE: The trial for former transport minister S Iswaran will begin on Sep 10, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) confirmed in a statement on Monday (Aug 12).
A spokesperson said the earlier set of trial dates, initially set to begin on Aug 13, “has been vacated on defence counsel’s request”.
The first tranche of trial dates is now fixed for Sep 10 to Sep 13 this year.
Iswaran is represented by a team of lawyers led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh.
He was last in open court in July, where he lost his bid to compel the prosecution to make available to the defence all statements by prosecution witnesses.
Corruption cases are usually heard in the State Courts, but the prosecution had successfully applied in March for this case to be heard in the High Court.
The 62-year-old Singaporean faces a total of 35 charges comprising 32 counts of obtaining valuables as a public servant, two counts of corruption and one of obstructing justice.
These relate to his interactions with property tycoon Ong Beng Seng and Mr Lum Kok Seng, the managing director of Singapore-listed Lum Chang Holdings.
CNA approached the defence for comment on the new trial dates, but obtained no response.
If convicted of obtaining a valuable thing as a public servant, Iswaran can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.
 
If convicted of corruptly obtaining gratification under the Prevention of Corruption Act, he can be jailed for up to seven years, fined up to S$100,000 (US$74,400), or both.
 
If convicted of obstructing justice, he can be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.