From Parliament to Changi Prison: Former transport minister Iswaran's fall from grace

SINGAPORE - The fall from grace of S. Iswaran was spectacular – from a private plane ride and plush hotel room at the Four Seasons to a prison van and a straw mat for a bed in a single-man jail cell.

It marked the end of a career in public service that saw him rise through the ranks in the administrative service before his entry into politics in 1997.

Iswaran, 62, arrived at the State Courts on Oct 7 at about 3.30pm. He was alone apart from a male relative who declined to be identified.

After handing over his identity card at Court 4A, he was led through a door used by convicts to the courthouse lock-up facility.

He was then moved to the basement carpark, where a Singapore Prison Service (SPS) van was waiting to take him to Changi Prison to serve out his 12-month sentence.

[[nid:704432]]

A spokesman for SPS told The Straits Times that all inmates, including Iswaran, will be subjected to the same treatment and rules.

Said the spokesman: “Upon admission, all inmates have their personal belongings collected and documented for safekeeping... they are searched for contraband, after which they are examined by a prison medical officer.”

SPS currently administers 14 institutions, as well as the Selarang Park Community Supervision Centre and Community Rehabilitation Centre.

They are grouped under three clusters – A, B and C, and the Community Corrections Command, which oversees community supervision and reintegration.

ST understands that Iswaran is likely to be locked up in cluster B, where most white-collar criminals are housed.

Inmates transferred from the courts to prison are screened by officers with dogs and strip-searched after their arrival. They are also required to don prison garb – a white T-shirt and blue shorts – and are tagged with a wristband that holds their identification code.

SPS said all prison inmates undergo a standard health screening to detect any existing medical conditions and a final X-ray screening before they pick up items such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, clothing, slippers, towel and plastic spoon for meals.

They are then led to one of three types of cells in Changi – a single-inmate cell around 7 sq m in area, a four-inmate cell of around 10 sq m, or an eight-inmate unit of around 20 sq m.

In response to queries from ST, the SPS spokesman said Iswaran had been processed as an inmate at Changi Prison.

Said the spokesman: “As SPS assessed that there is a higher safety and security risk for Iswaran to be housed with other inmates, SPS has housed him in a single-man cell.”

The spokesman added that no beds have been provided to the former minister, who will sleep on the provided straw mat and two blankets.

All cells have toilet facilities partially blocked by a modesty wall. Due to safety concerns, there are no fans inside the cells.

Inmates sleep on straw mats. Beds are provided only to those who require additional care, due to old age or mobility issues.

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/DAz6SpOSWec/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading[/embed]

Inmates have regulated access to an electronic tablet in their cells, as well as e-learning materials and e-books.

The SPS spokesman said Iswaran will be allowed up to two visits, and may write up to four electronic letters every month.

On weekdays, inmates are given at least one hour a day out of their cells for recreational activities, which include sports and exercise, and access to newspapers, board games and television.

Inmates have three meals daily, which are planned based on a dietitian’s recommendation to meet nutritional requirements.

Criminal lawyers say inmates are typically segregated according to their prison terms and security risks.

But special arrangements could still be made.

Lawyer Cory Wong, director of Invictus Law Corporation, said the former transport minister remains privy to prior state secrets due to his former role as minister. He explained that such an arrangement could be made if Iswaran is assessed to be at risk of divulging state secrets under threat, duress or coercion by other inmates.

Said Mr Wong: “It is not inconceivable that particular prison-housing arrangements would have to be put in place to segregate (him) from such at-risk inmates at the very least.”

While this is unlikely, it is not impossible, according to senior criminal defence lawyer Rajan Supramaniam from Regent Law.

Mr Rajan, who was formerly a senior officer in SPS before becoming a lawyer, said that in his experience, no special arrangements are given to any inmates, regardless of their status.

“Security overrides everything in prison, so he may be kept in solitary confinement for his own safety if the prison deems fit, but he will still be allowed to mingle with other inmates on his yard time,” said Mr Rajan.

Mr Rajan and Mr Wong said that in most cases, prisoners are granted a full one-third remission for good behaviour.

This means Iswaran may be released as soon as May 2025 after serving at least eight months, barring any issues of misconduct, the lawyers said.

Additionally, Iswaran may even be asked to serve out some of his jail term at home with electronic tagging, Mr Rajan said.

“The chances of him being placed on home detention are very high, given he is a non-violent offender, similar to white-collar criminals,” Mr Rajan added.

Former civil servant

Over a nearly 40-year career, Iswaran had held positions in the Education Ministry and Temasek before his appointment in 2015 as minister of trade and industry (industry).

Iswaran met his wife Kay Mary Taylor during his time in Australia. He had studied economics at the University of Adelaide after receiving the Colombo Plan Scholarship in 1982.

He went on to receive a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University in 1995.

He began his career with the Singapore Administrative Service in 1987, before being seconded to the National Trades Union Congress.

Born in Madras, India, he served as the first chief executive officer of the Singapore Indian Development Association in 1991.

Iswaran later went into the private sector, working as a director for strategic development at Singapore Technologies, before becoming managing director at Temasek.

He had concurrently served as an MP since 1997, and was appointed to the Cabinet in 2006.

It was around this time that Iswaran, in his position then as Minister of State for Trade and Industry, worked with property tycoon Ong Beng Seng to convince then Formula One Group chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to make Singapore the venue for the sport’s first night race.

Ong and Iswaran became firm friends, but it was allegedly not without agenda.

On Sept 24, Iswaran pleaded guilty to five charges.

Four were over obtaining valuable items as a public servant from Ong and Mr David Lum Kok Seng, managing director of construction company Lum Chang Holdings.

The fifth charge was over obstructing the course of justice, by making payment of $5,700 for a business-class flight he had taken from Doha to Singapore in 2022 at Ong’s expense.

Ong, 78, was charged on Oct 4 with abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, and with abetting obstruction of justice.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers said no charges will be brought against Mr Lum.

In sentencing Iswaran on Oct 3, Justice Vincent Hoong described Ong as cultivating goodwill when offering gifts to and acceding to requests from Iswaran for various items, including tickets for football matches and F1 Green Room tickets.

The downfall came following a December 2022 trip to Doha – an all-expenses-paid trip that Ong had allegedly offered to Iswaran.

Ong had purportedly extended an invitation by the chairman of the 2022 Qatar World Cup organising committee to Iswaran.

Iswaran applied for urgent leave and flew to Doha on the hotelier’s private jet, staying at the Four Seasons Hotel under Ong’s tab.

He later flew back on a business-class flight, but his name was discovered on Ong’s flight manifest when the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was investigating a separate matter involving Ong’s associates.

Ong then alerted Iswaran that the CPIB had seized the flight manifest for the December 2022 trip, prompting Iswaran to ask the tycoon to bill him for the flight to avoid investigations.

Within a year, the graft watchdog had lined up 56 witnesses for the state prosecution’s case against Iswaran.

Then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in Parliament in August 2023 that CPIB had first alerted him to its investigations in May 2023.

Iswaran claimed he was innocent from the outset and rejected all charges raised against him.

But on what was to be the first day of his trial on Sept 24, he pleaded guilty to the five charges after the prosecution amended his corruption charges to Section 165 charges.

Section 165 makes it an offence for a public servant to accept or obtain any valuable thing, for free or for inadequate payment, from anyone connected with his official duties.

What’s next

Iswaran resigned on Jan 16 after he was charged in court – marking an end to his 27-year political career.

He was also in charge of West Coast GRC at the time of his resignation.

While his family members, including his wife, were often seen in the gallery when he appeared in court, they have remained tight-lipped throughout.

After Iswaran was sentenced on Oct 3, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that while the former minister had made significant contributions in his political career, the Government has a duty to act against corruption.

He said: “No political system is immune from human frailties. However stringently we act against corruption, from time to time some individuals will be tempted and will go astray.

“We will do what is right by Singapore and Singaporeans, regardless of the political costs or the personal pain we feel when a colleague and friend has been jailed.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.