Jakarta –
Singapore’s Minister of Transport, S Iswaran, arrested on 11 July by the Bureau of Investigation of Corrupt Practices (CPIB). S Iswaran was arrested in connection with a corruption case, but has now been released on bail.
Quoted from the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry website, Sunday (16/7/2023), the following is a profile of the Singapore minister who was arrested on suspicion of corruption.
S Iswaran initially joined the Singapore Administrative Service in 1987. Iswaran was then assigned to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Education, seconded to the National Trade Union Congress. Then assigned to the Singapore Indian Development Association as the first Chief Executive Officer.
Then in 1996, Iswaran was the Director of International Trade at the Ministry of Trade and Industry before Singapore hosted the WTO Ministerial Conference in 1996. Furthermore, Iswaran had joined the private sector.
Furthermore, Iswaran has been elected as a Member of Parliament in 6 general elections since 2 January 1997. Prior to being appointed to the Cabinet in 2006, Iswaran served on several Government Parliamentary Committees and as Deputy Speaker of Parliament from September 2004 to June 2006.
Meanwhile, Iswaran currently serves as Minister of Transportation. Iswaran is responsible for handling land, air and sea transportation. Its main focus includes rebuilding Singapore’s air hub and reopening safe air travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening Singapore’s maritime hub, and building a reliable, sustainable and inclusive ground transportation system.
In addition, Iswaran also serves as the minister in charge of trade relations at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Iswaran is responsible for overseeing various bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations.
Iswaran has also held ministerial positions at the Ministry of Communication and Information, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Education.
Iswaran is an alumnus of the prestigious University of Adelaide and holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.
Events related to Iswaran are rare in this country. Iswaran was arrested on July 11, 2023, “later released on bail,” the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a statement as reported by AFP news agency, Saturday (15/7/2023).
This is the first time Singapore’s anti-corruption agency has confirmed the arrests.
Earlier, Iswaran had been ordered to leave earlier this week by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the CPIB said the minister was “helping” the ongoing investigation.
Lee said the anti-corruption agency had sought his approval for a formal investigation, one of which would involve interviewing Iswaran.
Involve Tycoon Ong Beng Seng
CPIB said hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng, who is one of the richest men in Singapore, was also arrested on the same day. However he was released on bail in connection with the investigation.
Ong is the managing director of Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), which owns a string of high-end hotels and resorts in locations across Asia and the Pacific.
So far, the CPIB has not disclosed details of the investigation into the case that rocked the city-state, a global financial center known as one of the least corrupt countries in the world.
(yld/gbr)
2023-07-16 09:07:26
#Singapore #Minister #Arrested #Corruption #Allegations
