A Singaporean court has charged billionaire Ong with two serious offenses: abetting obstruction of justice and assisting a public servant in obtaining valuables. This comes just a day after former Minister Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
During the court proceedings, no plea was entered by Ong, and the case has been adjourned until a pre-trial conference is set for November 15 at 9 a.m. (0100 GMT).
The charge of abetting obstruction of justice carries a potential penalty of up to seven years in prison, a fine, or both, while the charge related to assisting a public servant could result in a maximum prison sentence of two years.
The 78-year-old Ong, a prominent billionaire based in Singapore, has been under intense scrutiny due to his connections with Iswaran. He was arrested in July 2023 amid a corruption investigation involving the former minister but was released on bail with no charges filed at that time.
Iswaran recently pled guilty to accepting illegal gifts, which included tickets to the 2017 Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, along with flights and a hotel stay, all provided by Ong. As the owner of the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix, Ong has a significant stake in the event, while Iswaran is recognized for facilitating Formula One’s presence in Singapore.
Iswaran was convicted last week on five charges, including receiving illegal gifts and obstructing justice, marking Singapore’s first political graft trial in nearly fifty years. The graft allegations also involve gifts from Lum Kok Seng, a director of a construction firm.
Furthermore, Iswaran faced obstruction of justice charges for attempting to impede a government investigation into a business-class flight that Ong paid for.
In response to Iswaran’s resignation in January, the Singaporean government announced plans to reassess the terms of its Formula One Grand Prix deal. The most recent race took place on September 22.
