Trial of former transport minister Iswaran postponed to Sept 24

Less than a week before the first day of the hearing of S. Iswaran’s case, the trial of the former transport minister has been adjourned to Sept 24.

On Sept 5, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said the prosecution and the defence had requested the court to adjourn the start of the hearing, which the court acceded to as it was a joint request.

The first day of Iswaran’s trial was originally slated for Sept 10.

Iswaran, 62, faces a total of 35 charges. Two of these charges are for corruption involving about $166,000, while one is for obstructing the course of justice.

The remaining 32 counts are for obtaining items worth more than $237,000 as a public servant.

The charges relate to his dealings with hotel and property tycoon Ong Beng Seng and mainboard-listed Lum Chang Holdings’ managing director David Lum.

Iswaran was first handed 27 charges on Jan 18, 2024. On March 25, he was handed eight more charges relating to items he had allegedly obtained from Mr Lum. These include bottles of whisky, golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle.

On May 8, Iswaran won a bid for both sets of charges to be heard in a single trial. The prosecution had wanted the charges in relation to Mr Lum to be tried first, followed by the charges in relation to Mr Ong.

On Sept 3, the Court of Appeal dismissed Iswaran’s third and latest attempt to obtain conditioned statements of every prosecution witness. A conditioned statement is a mode of giving evidence in a written statement, in lieu of oral testimony.

The defence’s first attempt for a court order that the prosecution should provide conditioned statements was dismissed in June.

Iswaran’s legal team, led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, had contended that the prosecution is required to provide conditioned statements for every witness that it intends to call at the trial.

The prosecution argued that the law requires it to provide only the conditioned statements that it intends to admit at the trial.

It said it does not intend to admit any conditioned statements at Iswaran’s trial. No such statements have been recorded, and thus none was provided to the defence.

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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