The home detention scheme, which is available to inmates who have served at least 14 days of their sentence and have demonstrated good behavior, allows for a more flexible approach to punishment while maintaining oversight.
The jail sentence meted out to Iswaran was longer than the prosecution had requested. His lead lawyer Davinder Singh had argued for no more than eight weeks’ jail, while Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong pushed for a jail term of six to seven months.
Lead counsel for defence Davinder Singh requested the court to give Iswaran time till 4pm on Monday, October 7, to surrender at the State Courts and begin his jail term. Iswaran is out on present on a bail bond of SGD 800,000.
Iswaran admitted to four charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which forbids all public servants from obtaining any valuable thing from someone involved with them in an official capacity, and one charge of obstruction of justice.
A spokesperson for the Attorney-General’s Chambers said both the prosecution and the defence requested the court to adjourn the trial against Iswaran.
Pritam Singh’s lawyers, Andre Darius Jumabhoy and Aristotle Emmanuel Eng, relied on the case of former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran, which has been rescheduled for hearing in the High Court in September 2024.
The gifts were allegedly given to Iswaran by a person named Lum Kok Seng, and this individual was part of a business that had a connection with Iswaran’s work as transport minister.
Iswaran was arrested on July 11, 2023, as part of an investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a special statement in Parliament today where the resignation of two former ruling party MPs, as well as the corruption probe involving Indian-origin Transport Minister S Iswaran, dominated discussions for more than two hours.
Indian-origin Minister S Iswaran, under fire over a corruption scandal, was questioned for around 10 hours by the authorities, according to local media reports.
