Singapore’s former transport minister has been sentenced to 12 months in jail in a graft case that has rocked the Asian financial hub. He was convicted of accepting gifts worth more than 300,000 US dollars from business people while in office.
Thursday’s verdict came after Subramaniam Iswaran pleaded guilty last week to obtaining valuable items as a public servant and obstructing justice.
The gifts included a trip to Qatar on a private jet, free tickets to Singapore’s Formula 1 Grand Prix, as well as premium whisky and a high-end bicycle.
The prosecution was seeking a prison term of six to seven months. The defense counsel asked for no more than eight weeks.
But the judge imposed a heavier sentence, pointing to Iswaran’s high position in office and the harm made to public trust.
It is Singapore’s first graft trial involving a politician in nearly five decades. The case has caused a stir in the city-state which prides itself on robust governance and efficient bureaucracy.