- UN says tens of thousands flee Lebanon strikes
- Asian stock markets lead rally on China stimulus
- Arteta stands by defensive tactics in fiery Man City clash
- Tropical Storm John hits Mexico's Pacific coast
- Sri Lanka's new leader appoints cabinet ahead of expected snap polls
- Singapore ex-minister convicted in rare graft trial
- UK town catches Subbuteo fever
- France facing 'one of worst deficits' in its history: minister
- China's Olympic champ Zheng embraces big home expectations
- Biden bids farewell to UN, in shadow of Trump
- All Blacks seek to end Wellington jinx, with Cane poised for 100th cap
- Postbank (Постбанк) анулює рахунки українців у Німеччині
- Meryl Streep says a 'squirrel has more rights' than an Afghan girl
- Postbank terminates accounts of Ukrainians in Germany
- Hong Kong, Shanghai lead markets rally after China stimulus
- Dutch paint giant Akzonobel slashes 2,000 jobs worldwide
- Sri Lanka's new leader to call snap parliamentary polls
- In Ukraine's Pokrovsk, some quietly waiting for Russian troops
- Singapore ex-minister pleads guilty in rare graft trial
- Fishy business caught by fraying India-Bangladesh ties
- US Open champion Sabalenka chases year-end number one ranking
- New Zealand scientists discover ghostly 'spookfish'
- Trump slams early voting, even while urging Pennsylvanians to do so
- Singapore ex-minister pleads guilty to bribery in rare graft trial
- Major Hurricane John hits Mexico's Pacific coast
- IMF says ready for talks with Sri Lanka's new leftist government
- Phillies clinch division title, eye top seed
- Bills trample Jaguars, Commanders claw Bengals
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost ailing economy
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally on China stimulus on mixed day for markets
- Back to death row? Retrial verdict due in Japan murder saga
- Rare corruption trial of Singapore ex-minister begins
- Ghana a long way off from gender equality despite new law
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost economy
- Hamas weakened, not crushed a year into war with Israel
- Israeli economy struggles under weight of Gaza war
- Israelis united in trauma, divided by war after October 7
- New York Liberty riding WNBA boom into playoffs
- Union says new Boeing pay offer 'missed the mark'
- Environmental groups urge EU 'high risk' label for Sarawak
- Argentina seeks Maduro's arrest for crimes against humanity
- Morales issues Bolivian president 24-hour ultimatum to shake up cabinet
- Armenia and Azerbaijan see progress, but peace treaty seems distant
- World leaders gather at UN as Mideast tensions explode
- Biden's UN goodbye aims to 'Trump-proof' legacy
- Singapore ex-minister set for high-profile corruption trial
- Man Utd, Spurs eye respite from domestic woes in Europa League
- Guatemala picks Supreme Court judges with focus on anti-graft fight
- Jill Biden announces $500 million for women's health research
- Injured All Blacks centre Jordie Barrett out of Australia Test
Singapore ex-minister convicted in rare graft trial
A Singaporean former minister was convicted Tuesday of obstruction of justice and accepting illegal gifts, the public prosecutor said, in the city-state's first political graft trial for nearly half a century.
Ex-transport minister S. Iswaran, known for helping bring Formula One to the financial hub, was earlier this year hit with 35 charges mostly related to graft in a nation often cited as one of the world's least corrupt.
But prosecutors moved forward with five lesser charges only, including some related to a billionaire property tycoon.
"S. Iswaran pleaded guilty to and was convicted... of four charges for obtaining gifts from two local businessmen. He also pleaded guilty to and was convicted of one charge for obstruction of justice," the attorney general's office said in a statement.
Prosecutors are seeking six to seven months in prison combined for the charges, while the defence is hoping for no more than eight weeks, The Straits Times reported.
The sentencing date has not been formally announced by the attorney general's office, but local media said it was set for October 3.
After the court session ended, 62-year-old Iswaran said he could not comment on the trial.
"I just want to thank all of you for coming, and let's see how it goes," he told reporters outside the Supreme Court.
His trial has been deemed by observers to be one of the most politically significant in the city-state's history.
It also risks damaging the reputation of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) before general elections expected to be held by November next year.
Iswaran quit in January after being formally notified of the charges which include accepting gifts worth more than $300,000.
In a resignation letter at the time, he said he would clear his name in court.
Iswaran has paid back around $295,000 in financial gain to the government and gifts including a Brompton bicycle were also seized from him, the attorney general's office said.
The charges include obstruction of justice relating to an attempt to block Singaporean authorities from investigating a business class flight at the expense of Malaysian hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng, one of Singapore's richest residents.
The other four charges relate to his receipt of gifts from Ong, the managing director of Hotel Properties Limited, and a top director at a construction company, including bottles of whiskey and golf clubs.
Neither businessman has faced punishment.
The charge of obstructing justice carries a maximum sentence of seven years and a fine, while accepting gifts of value has a maximum sentence of two years and a fine.
- Salary payback -
Most of the charges against Iswaran have been levelled with a rarely used criminal law that states it is an offence for public servants to accept objects of value from figures they officially work with.
Singapore's former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the time of Iswaran's resignation that he had pledged to return money received as part of his salary and allowances since his arrest.
Cabinet ministers are paid salaries comparable to the top earners in the private sector to deter corruption.
Lee has previously admitted that his long-ruling PAP had "taken a hit" after a spate of political scandals.
Last year two PAP legislators resigned for having an affair.
Before that, two heavyweight cabinet members were investigated for allegedly getting favours in their rental of sprawling colonial-era bungalows, but were subsequently cleared.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who succeeded Lee, has said the PAP's anti-corruption stance is "non-negotiable".
The government said it would review the terms of its Formula One Grand Prix deal after Iswaran's resignation. This year's race in Singapore concluded on Sunday.
Singapore's last senior politician convicted for graft dates to 1975, when Wee Toon Boon, then minister of state for environment, was found guilty of accepting bribes worth more than $600,000 according to local media.
F.Müller--BTB