SINGAPORE, Oct 4 — Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said his government will continue to uphold the highest standards of integrity and propriety following the sentencing of former transport minister S. Iswaran on Thursday.
Wong, who is also the finance minister, said the country’s system ensures that all public officers are accountable and that no one is beyond scrutiny or above the law.
“My team and I will continue to uphold the highest standards of integrity and propriety. The integrity of the Singapore system and the tone of our society depend critically on the senior political leadership remaining clean and incorruptible, and unflinching in acting against corruption wherever it is discovered.
“We will do what is right for Singapore and Singaporeans, regardless of the political costs or the personal pain we feel when a colleague and friend has been jailed,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment by the High Court here on Thursday after pleading guilty last week to four charges of obtaining valuable items as a public servant (Section 165 of the Penal Code) and one count of obstruction of justice (Section 204A(a) of the Penal Code).
Wong also expressed his disappointment and sadness that Iswaran’s political career has ended this way.
He noted that the 62-year-old had been an active and involved member of Parliament (MP) for more than 25 years, and had made significant contributions in all the ministerial portfolios he held.
“But his past contributions do not right this wrong. As painful as it is to act against a colleague and friend, it is our duty to do so when necessary,” Wong said, emphasising that Singapore’s system of government and politics must always remain clean and free from corruption.
He stated that those entrusted with public service must uphold the highest standards of integrity and that their conduct must be beyond reproach.
“This is absolutely vital and non-negotiable,” he said, adding that individuals tempted by corruption and went astray must expect that their actions sooner or later will come to light, whereupon they will be held to account.
Wong mentioned that, in Iswaran’s case, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) came across information that implicated him and brought the matter to the attention of then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Lee, he said, immediately gave his concurrence for the CPIB to commence formal investigations, which the CPIB pursued thoroughly and proactively.
Wong noted that the Public Prosecutor assessed the CPIB’s findings independently and decided to charge Iswaran, who later resigned as a minister, an MP, and a member of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).
“(He) pleaded guilty, and has now been sentenced,” he said. — Berama
