SINGAPORE: Prominent Malaysian property tycoon Datuk Ong Beng Seng has been formally charged with two offences — one under Section 165 of Singapore’s Penal Code and another for obstruction of justice — in connection with the high-profile probe into former transport minister S. Iswaran.
Court documents reveal that Ong, 78, is accused of offering Iswaran an extravagant trip in December 2022, valued at over US$7,700 (RM32,500), according to a report in The Straits Times today.
The package included a private flight from Singapore to Doha, a night’s stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha worth S$4,737.63, and a business class flight to Singapore costing S$5,700.
Ong arrived at Singapore’s State Courts this afternoon, accompanied by his lawyer, Aaron Lee from Allen & Gledhill.
The court documents also revealed that Ong had alerted Iswaran about the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) seizing the flight manifest for the trip, leading the former minister to ask Ong to bill him for the flight in a bid to prevent scrutiny over the gifts.
This incident was the basis for the obstruction of justice charge against Iswaran.
Ong, the chairman of Formula One (F1) race promoter Singapore GP, was among several individuals summoned by CPIB in relation to the Iswaran probe.
His court appearance follows over a year after his initial arrest by the CPIB on July 11, 2023, after which he posted bail of $100,000.
Ong was also granted permission to travel to Bali during this period.
Iswaran, 62, was sentenced to 12 months in prison on October 3 after pleading guilty to five charges, including accepting valuable gifts from Ong, such as the all-expenses-paid Doha trip.
On the morning of October 4, Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) — the property and hotel development firm co-founded by Ong — requested a trading halt, pending the release of an official announcement.
Ong also serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder.
Ong is widely known as the man who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.
He owns the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix.
Iswaran, who chaired the F1 steering committee, played a pivotal role in negotiating with Singapore GP on business matters relating to the race.
The two men had been key figures in securing the deal with then-Formula One Group CEO Bernie Ecclestone to host F1’s first-ever night race in Singapore.
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