A Singapore court charged a property billionaire on Friday with obstructing justice and abetting offenses by a disgraced ex-transport minister jailed a day earlier in the city-state\u2019s high-profile government graft case. <\/p>\n
Ong Beng Seng, the 78-year-old owner of Hotel Properties Ltd and the rights holder to the Singapore Grand Prix Formula One race, is accused of giving high-value gifts to ex-minister S. Iswaran, who on Thursday became the first former cabinet member to be jailed in Singapore. <\/p>\n
The case has been the subject of major intrigue in Singapore, a wealthy financial hub that offers ministers salaries of more than S$1 million dollars ($771,247) to deter graft and prides itself on its reputation for clean governance. <\/p>\n
Iswaran was imprisoned for 12 months for obstructing justice and improperly receiving gifts as a public servant, with Ong a central part of the prosecution\u2019s case. <\/p>\n
Ong has so far issued no comment on the accusations. Channel NewsAsia said he entered no plea on Friday and did not indicate how he would plead. <\/p>\n
Ong\u2019s firm, Singapore-listed Hotel Properties, requested a trading halt early on Friday following Thursday\u2019s announcement that he would be charged. <\/p>\n
During Iswaran\u2019s trial, prosecutors said the ex-minister received gifts worth more than $300,000, including tickets to English Premier League soccer matches, the F1 Grand Prix, London musicals and a ride on a private jet to Doha. <\/p>\n
Ong was charged with one count of abetting Iswaran\u2019s receiving of valuables and one count of obstruction of justice, according to the charge sheet. <\/p>\n
During Iswaran\u2019s trial, the court heard how the minister had asked Ong to bill him for the Doha trip on the private jet, after he discovered the anti-graft agency had seized the flight manifest for an unrelated case. <\/p>\n
Justice Vincent Hoong, who presided over Iswaran\u2019s case, said on Thursday the minister\u2019s request to be billed was a deliberate move to obstruct the course of justice and try to evade investigation. <\/p>\n
Channel NewsAsia said Ong\u2019s court hearing was adjourned until pre-trial proceedings on November 15. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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