A former senior minister in Singapore’s state, who was jailed following a high-profile test last year, has been allowed to serve the majority of his 12-month word from home.
Subramaniam Iswaran was imprisoned on 7 October after he pleaded guilty to accepting gifts worth more than S$ 403, 000 ($ 300, 000, £240, 000 ) while in office, as well as obstructing the course of justice.
Iswaran’s event gripped Singapore, where a problem case involving a common standard is unique. The island nation that serves as South East Asia’s economic hub takes pride in its pristine reputation.
He was transferred to home arrest on Friday, the Singapore Prison Service ( SPS) told local media.
In Singapore, prisoners may be moved to home incarceration after being evaluated on factors like their behavior in captivity and response to rehabilitation.
Authorities said Iswaran was found to be” of reduced chance of re-offending, did not commit any administrative offence in prison, and has strong family support”.
He will need to report to jail authorities for counseling while they are in home detention and utilize an electronic monitoring tag.
Local media outlet Channel News Asia saw Iswaran having a dinner at his house on Friday.
Iswaran’s 12-month jail sentence was greater than what his defense team and prosecutors sought during his test.
During his sentencing in October, the judge said that public officials like Iswaran should also be seen as having “greater culpability in abusing their position to obtain valuable gifts”.
In the past 50 years, Iswaran has been the first social officeholder to face court in Singapore.
Teh Cheang Wan, the development minister, was the last secretary to face corruption charges in 1986 after accepting gifts. Before being charged, he committed suicide.