ALCOHOL AND A BIRTHDAY PRESENT
Iswaran also received gifts from another businessman, Mr Lum Kok Seng, the director of Lum Chang Building Contractors and managing director of Lum Chang Holdings.
In 2016, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) awarded Lum Chang Building Contractors a S$325 million contract for works at Tanah Merah Station and existing viaducts.
LTA comes under the Ministry of Transport. Iswaran was transport minister from May 15, 2021 to Jan 17, 2024, and was responsible for LTA in that capacity.
In late 2021, Iswaran asked Mr Lum to help him source whisky and red wine. He sent a photo of a bottle of Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila whisky, and asked Mr Lum to check with his regular supplier “what he thinks about it”.
On Jan 7, 2022, Mr Lum told Iswaran that he had bought two bottles of the whisky and would send it to him with a batch of red wine. Iswaran thanked him.
Later that month, Mr Lum arranged for two bottles of the whisky and 12 bottles of red wine, worth about S$3,200, to be sent to Iswaran’s home.
On another occasion, Iswaran invited Mr Lum to his 60th birthday celebration on Jun 18, 2022. Mr Lum “suggested” to Iswaran that he would buy him a foldable bicycle for his birthday.
That June, Iswaran obtained a Brompton T Line bicycle from Mr Lum, valued at about S$7,900.
Iswaran knew that Mr Lum was involved in a contract between Lum Chang Building Contractors and LTA. Receiving these gifts therefore constituted offences under Section 165.
Iswaran also obtained golf clubs and equipment worth almost S$6,000 and more whisky worth about S$1,800 from Mr Lum on other occasions.
The court heard on Tuesday that Iswaran made restitution of more than S$380,000 to the state after the corruption charges against him were amended to lesser charges under Section 165.
In the course of investigations, CPIB also seized the following items from Iswaran, which he agreed to forfeit to the state:
- Four bottles of Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila whisky with a value of about S$1,084.46
- Three bottles of Albert Bichot Domaine du Clos Frantin Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru 2015 wine with a value of S$1,177.21
- Three bottles of Pichon Lalande 2010 wine with a value of S$955.80
- A TaylorMade golf driver with a value of about S$749
- Nine Honma Beres BE-08 golf clubs with a value of S$4,420
- A Brompton T Line bicycle with a value of S$7,907.50
- Two bottles of M&H Elements Sherry Cask whisky with a value of S$198
- A Scotty Cameron Phantom golf putter and two golf chippers with a value of about S$800
