SINGAPORE: Transport Minister S Iswaran has been interdicted from duty with a reduced pay of S$8,500 a month until further notice, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a ministerial statement on Wednesday (Aug 2).
Mr Lee was speaking in parliament on the corruption probe involving Mr Iswaran, as well as the resignations of two MPs – former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Ms Cheng Li Hui – over their extramarital affair.
More than 10 MPs had filed questions on matters related to the probe by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
Mr Iswaran was arrested by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) on Jul 11. He is out on bail and has been placed on a leave of absence. CPIB’s probe into Mr Iswaran also involves billionaire Ong Beng Seng, the man widely credited with bringing F1 racing to Singapore.
Given that such incidents involving ministers are rare, Mr Lee said that there is no rule or precedent on how to effect an interdiction on a political office holder. And as such, he used the current civil service practice as a reference point.
“The specific details in Minister Iswaran’s case follow generally how the civil service would deal with a senior officer in a similar situation,” said the Prime Minister.
“But this was my decision as Prime Minister, because the political contexts for a minister and a civil servant being investigated and interdicted are different.”
According to the Public Service Division, as of 2023, the benchmark level of a minister’s monthly salary stands at S$55,000, working out to an annual salary of S$1.1 million.