SINGAPORE, Feb 28 — Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng is set to plead guilty on April 2 to two charges linked to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau’s (CPIB) probe into former Singapore transport minister S. Iswaran.

Ong, 79, was charged on October 4, 2024, with abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and with abetting the obstruction of justice, according to a report published in The Straits Times today.

His decision to plead guilty was reflected in an update on the court’s case management system following a pre-trial conference on February 28.

Ong, represented by a legal team from Allen & Gledhill including lawyer Aaron Lee, was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which makes it an offence for a public servant to accept anything of value from a person with whom they have official dealings without proper payment.

Court documents state that Ong allegedly instigated Iswaran in December 2022 to accept a valuable item —specifically, a flight from Singapore to Doha on Ong’s private jet, valued at US$7,700 (RM34,350).

Ong was also charged with abetting obstruction of justice.

He allegedly alerted Iswaran that the CPIB had seized the flight manifest for the trip, prompting the former minister to ask Ong to bill him for the flight in an attempt to avoid investigation.

Ong also covered the cost of a one-night stay for Iswaran at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, valued at S$4,737.63, and paid for his business-class flight back to Singapore, which was worth S$5,700.

The tycoon, who is the chairman of Formula One (F1) race promoter Singapore GP, was among several individuals called up by the CPIB during its probe into Iswaran.

Ong is credited with bringing F1 to Singapore in 2008, making it the sport’s first-ever night race, and he owns the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix.

Iswaran, who was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and the chief negotiator for race-related business matters, had worked closely with Ong in the mid-2000s to persuade then-Formula One Group CEO Bernie Ecclestone to bring the night race to Singapore.

The former minister, 62, faced a total of 35 charges, most of which involved Ong.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers has stated that no additional charges will be brought against Ong in relation to Iswaran’s case.

Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months’ jail on October 3 for, among other offences, accepting valuable gifts from Ong.