Singapore-based Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran
Appearing in the court dock wearing a mask with a scarf around his neck, Ong, 79, admitted to abetting the obstruction of justice relating to a December 2022 trip to Qatar which Iswaran accepted Ong's invitation for.
A second charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts will be taken into consideration for sentencing.
Ong arrived at around 9am at the State Courts with his lawyers flanked by his security team.
The hearing began at around 10.15am, instead of 9.30am, after two fire alarms went off.
The first one was triggered the moment Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng walked into the room.
After a delay of almost an hour, the statement of facts detailing Ong's offences were read out by the prosecution in a packed courtroom.
Addressing the court on Ong's abetment of obstruction of justice offence, the prosecuting team said Ong asked Iswaran in December 2022 if the former minister would like to join Ong on a trip to Qatar.
Ong told Iswaran he would be his guest and travelling on his private jet. The businessman added he would take care of all of Iswaran's expenses for the trip, including his hotel accommodation.
Iswaran accepted Ong's offer and applied for urgent personal leave to go for the trip.
On Dec 10, 2022, Iswaran travelled to Doha, Qatar, on Ong's private jet, with the flight valued at around US$7,700 (S$10,410).
Upon reaching Doha, Iswaran checked into the Four Seasons Hotel, which cost S$4,737.63 for a one-night stay.
The prosecution said Iswaran did not pay for his flight to Doha or hotel accommodation, and that the hotel accommodation was paid for by Singapore GP on the instructions of Ong.
After one night in Doha, Iswaran returned to Singapore on a business class flight that was valued at S$5,700, which Singapore GP also paid for.
The prosecution said: 'Iswaran did not declare to the Government of Singapore that he had obtained the outbound flight on the accused's private jet, the hotel accommodation at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, or the Doha-SG Flight ticket from the accused.'
In May 2023, while the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was investigating a separate matter relating to Ong's associates, it came across the flight manifest of the outbound flight on Ong's private jet which Iswaran took to Doha.
On May 18, Ong was informed by his associates that CPIB had seized the flight manifest which had details of the Doha trip.
Ong then spoke to Iswaran over the phone and told him the flight manifest had been seized by CPIB.
Iswaran then asked Ong to have Singapore GP bill him for expenses relating to the Doha trip, including the flight to Singapore on Dec 11, 2022.
Ong agreed and had Singapore GP director Mok Chee Liang to arrange for the payment, and told Mok to keep proper records of this.
On May 24, 2023, Mok emailed Iswaran's personal assistant with an invoice for the flight from Doha to Singapore.
Iswaran then issued a cheque for S$5,700 to Singapore GP, which the prosecution said had a tendency to obstruct the course of justice, as it made it less likely that he would be investigated by CPIB in relation to the Doha trip.
The prosecution said Ong also knew that Iswaran's act of making payment for the flight from Doha to Singapore was likely to obstruct the course of justice.
On Oct 3, 2024, the former Cabinet minister was handed a jail term of 12 months after he pleaded guilty to five charges, including four for obtaining valuable items as a public servant.
Iswaran's fifth charge was for obstructing the course of justice by making payment of s$5,700 for the business-class flight he had taken from Doha to Singapore in 2022 at Ong's expense.
Ong's guilty plea on Aug 4 came after multiple pre-trial conferences and court adjournments since he was charged on Oct 4, 2024.
Ong was first set to plead guilty on April 2, 2025, but this was postponed after his lawyers asked for an extension to obtain his medical report.
The businessman has multiple myeloma, which is a type of blood cancer affecting the bone marrow predominantly and is characterised by excessive multiplication of a type of white blood cells called plasma cells.
During earlier proceedings, he was allowed to go abroad for medical and work purposes.
A court date was then set for him to plead guilty on July 3. But this was rescheduled one day before the hearing as the prosecution and defence needed more time to file further submissions on sentencing.
Those found guilty of the abetment of obstruction of justice can be jailed for up to seven years, fined or both. - The Straits Times/ANN
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