Ong Beng Seng set to be charged on Oct 4 over Iswaran case

SINGAPORE: Property tycoon, hotelier and Singapore GP head Ong Beng Seng is expected to be charged on Friday ( Oct 4), according to court records. &nbsp,

The offenses alleged to be abetting one count each under Area 165, obtaining goods from a common servant, and obstructing justice under Section 204A.

Court records also indicated that the property tycoon is out on S$ 800, 000 ( US$ 617, 000 ) bail.

Mr. Ong, 78, made headlines in recent months as a result of his ties to former secretary S Iswaran.

He was named in Iswaran’s first bone costs, &nbsp, which alleged that the&nbsp, then-transport secretary had fraudulently obtained from Mr Ong tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, as well as flights and a resort stay in Doha.

According to the corruption charges, these products were made as inducements to further Mr. Ong’s business objectives in agreements with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore General Election and the ABBA Voyage digital concert.

Iswaran no more faces fraud charges. The problem charges&nbsp, were amended by the prosecution&nbsp, to lesser claims under&nbsp, Section 165 of the Penal Code, &nbsp, for obtaining goods from one linked to him in an official power.

Iswaran pleaded innocent on Sep 24&nbsp, to four expenses under Part 165 involving more than S$ 400, 000 in things like flight, sports and music cards, whisky and vineyards, as well as one count of obstructing justice by repaying Mr Ong for the Doha-Singapore trip.

On October 3, the former chancellor received a yearlong jail term.

Mr Ong, a Malaysian who is based in Singapore, was arrested in July 2023 and released on bail. &nbsp, No claims were originally filed against him.

The AGC stated that it” will take a decision in respect of Mr. Ong Beng Seng shortly” after Iswaran entered a guilty plea.

Lum Kok Seng, the different business connected to Iswaran’s case, was not mentioned in any way.

Before Iswaran became the minister of travel in 2021, Lum Chang Building Contractors, where Mr. Lim serves as a producer, had signed a$ 325 million deal for runs to Tanah Merah Station and its bridges in 2016.

Iswaran acknowledged obtaining about S$ 19, 000 worth of goods from Mr. Lum. These included bottles of whisky and wines, golf drivers and leagues and a S$ 7, 907 Brompton vehicle, a gift for his 60th birthday.

Iswaran’s circumstance came to light in May 2023. When a journey present revealed that Iswaran had traveled with the banker’s private aircraft from Singapore to Doha in December 2022, the CPIB discovered a separate case involving Mr. Ong’s affiliates.

When Mr. Ong learned that the journey manifest had been seized by the CPIB, he called Iswaran, who therefore requested that Mr. Ong pay the Singapore GP to cover the cost of the trip to Doha. A gain business school journey from Doha to Singapore on December 11, 2022 was included in the costs. &nbsp,

In May of this year, Iswaran charged with obstruction of justice by issuing a paycheck for S$ 5,700 to Singapore GP.