In Rare Graft Case in Singapore, Former Minister Pleads Guilty

He was the first minister to be charged with corruption in Singapore in nearly 50 years. For months, he had vowed to clear his name.

On Tuesday, in a surprise twist, the prosecution dropped the charges of corruption, and S. Iswaran, the former transport minister, pleaded guilty to lesser offenses: four charges of obtaining valuable items as a public servant and one charge of obstructing justice. It was not clear whether a plea deal had been reached.

In January, Mr. Iswaran was slapped with 35 counts of wrongdoing, including accepting bribes — such as tickets to the play “Hamilton,” soccer games in England and the Formula 1 race in Singapore — that were valued at 403,000 Singapore dollars ($312,000). Most of those dealings involved the property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, who has not been charged in the case.

The case stunned many Singaporeans, who had long believed that their politicians were incorruptible in part because of their high salaries. Singapore has consistently been lauded for its lack of graft. It was the fifth-least-corrupt country in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2023, the only Asian country in the top 10.

It was also seen as a black mark on the governing People’s Action Party, which has been in power for more than six decades and projected a scrupulous image. Mr. Iswaran was a senior figure in the party and was best known for his role in bringing the glitzy Formula 1 race to Singapore.

Mr. Iswaran is set to be sentenced on Oct. 3.

At the start of the trial on Tuesday, prosecutors sought a prison term of six to seven months. In court on Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Tai Wei Shyong said Mr. Iswaran was “more than a passive acceptor” of the gifts. Not punishing such acts, Mr. Tai