Trial of former transport minister Iswaran postponed to Sept 24
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Former transport minister S. Iswaran faces a total of 35 charges, two of which are for corruption involving about $166,000.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE - Less than a week before the first day of the hearing of S. Iswaran’s case, the trial of the former transport minister has been adjourned to Sept 24.
On Sept 5, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said the prosecution and the defence had requested the court to adjourn the start of the hearing, which the court acceded to as it was a joint request.
The first day of Iswaran’s trial was originally slated for Sept 10
Iswaran, 62, faces a total of 35 charges. Two of these charges are for corruption involving about $166,000, while one is for obstructing the course of justice.
The remaining 32 counts are for obtaining items worth more than $237,000
The charges relate to his dealings with hotel and property tycoon Ong Beng Seng managing director David Lum
Iswaran was first handed 27 charges eight more charges
On May 8, Iswaran won a bid for both sets of charges to be heard in a single trial
On Sept 3, the Court of Appeal dismissed Iswaran’s third and latest attempt
The defence’s first attempt for a court order that the prosecution should provide conditioned statements was dismissed in June.
Iswaran’s legal team, led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, had contended that the prosecution is required to provide conditioned statements for every witness that it intends to call at the trial.
The prosecution argued that the law requires it to provide only the conditioned statements that it intends to admit at the trial.
It said it does not intend to admit any conditioned statements at Iswaran’s trial. No such statements have been recorded, and thus none was provided to the defence.