Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng allowed to leave Singapore with additional S$800,000 bail

Ong was charged on Oct 4, a day after Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months’ jail.

Iswaran was jailed for obtaining gifts worth about S$403,300 over seven years from Ong and another businessman, Mr Lum Kok Seng, and for obstructing justice.

Iswaran had described Ong as a friend. Ong is credited with bringing Formula 1 to Singapore, and F1 was one of the projects Iswaran also worked on. 

The two men were first arrested in July 2023 and released on bail. This was after the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, while probing a separate matter, found a flight manifest for an outbound flight on Ong’s private jet that contained Iswaran’s name.

Iswaran pleaded guilty on Sep 24 to four charges under Section 165 and one under Section 204A, with 30 other charges under Section 165 taken into consideration for sentencing. Three of the charges Iswaran pleaded guilty to were related to Ong, while two involved Mr Lum. 

Amid speculation on whether he would appeal or not, Iswaran surrendered at the State Courts to begin his prison term on Oct 7.

Ong’s case is slated for a pre-trial conference on Nov 15.

If convicted of the charge under Section 165, Ong could face a jail term of up to two years, a fine, or both. 

If convicted of obstructing justice, the charge under Section 204A, Ong could face a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both.