Malaysian billionaire hotelier charged in Singapore in relation to ex-minister’s wrongdoings

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian billionaire hotelier who brought Formula One to Singapore was charged Friday for allegedly obstructing justice and abetting wrongdoings by a former Cabinet minister who was imprisoned a day earlier in a rare graft case.

The two charges against Ong Beng Seng came just a day after f ormer Transport Minister S. Iswaran was sentenced to a year in prison, making him the first minister to be jailed in Singapore in nearly half a century. Iswaran, 62, pleaded guilty last week to a count of obstructing justice and four of accepting illegal gifts such as F1 tickets, wine and whisky from Ong and another businessman Lum Kok Seng.

The commencement of Iswaran’s sentence has been delayed to Monday. It is unclear if he will appeal the sentence.

Ong, 78, is accused of helping Iswaran obtain two flights and accommodation in Doha in December 2022, and abetting Iswaran in obstructing the course of justice, the Attorney-General Chambers said in a statement.

According to the charge sheet, Iswaran was at the time chairman of the F1 Steering Committee and was aware the paid-for trip was linked to an agreement for the race between Ong’s Singapore GP and the Singapore Tourism Board.

The charges against Ong corresponded to two of the charges to which Iswaran pleaded guilty to on Sept 24, the statement said. The prosecution will not be charging the other businessman, Lum, it added.

“In arriving at the decision, the prosecution considered all the relevant facts and circumstances of the case, including the role that Lum played in each of the transactions,” an AGC spokesman said in reply to queries on why Lum was let off. He didn’t elaborate.

Ong did not indicate how he would plead to the charges. Channal News