SIngapore charged property tycoon Ong Beng Seng on Friday in the case of a former government minister who was sentenced to prison for receiving gifts from billionaires.
Ong, 78, did not immediately file a lawsuit in response to the charges of perverting and obstructing the operation of the law, and he did not answer questions when he left the court. These cases appeared a day after the former minister of transport S. Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months in prison for receiving valuables as a public servant and obstructing the administration of justice.
The scandal has shaken the city, known for its commitment to clean governance, as Iswaran became the first minister to be convicted in nearly half a century. It also tested the People’s Action Party, which has ruled Singapore without interruption since independence in 1965, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong preparing for a general election due in November 2025.
Read more: Wave of Scandals Tests Singapore Government’s Ability to Criticize
“No one is immune or above the law,” Wong said in a statement after Iswaran’s sentencing on Thursday. “My team and I will continue to raise the highest standards of integrity and competence.”
Ong, whose bail was set at S$800,000 ($617,000), is accused of helping Iswaran on two flights and an overnight stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, for a total of S$20,848.03. He was also accused of supporting the former minister in obstructing justice. That is in addition to two of the five charges Iswaran pleaded guilty to on September 24.
The prosecutor said Ong would not be charged for his involvement in any of the other allegations against Iswaran. He will also not charge Lum Kok Seng, Managing Director of construction company Lum Chang Holdings Ltd., in connection with the Iswaran case, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said in a statement.
The case was adjourned to Nov. 15.
Ong, who was arrested in July 2023, is worth $1.15 billion, according to Bloomberg estimates. He is a prominent figure in Singapore business circles, and is widely credited with bringing Formula One to the city. The tycoon owns the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix, which he attended in September, and is chairman of race promoter Singapore GP Pte.
But Ong’s business practices were put under the microscope after his relationship with Iswaran led to the worst graft attack in the financial sector for decades.
Many of the court cases against Iswaran were related to his collaboration with Ong. The allegations ranged from Iswaran getting tickets for UK football matches and flying on Ong’s private jet to getting tickets for the F1 race in Singapore and tickets to concerts in London. Iswaran’s lawyers argued in court that the valuables were gifts from his friend Ong.
Ong is also the managing director of Hotel Properties Ltd. The Singapore-listed hospitality company, which filed for a trading halt on Friday, has interests in hotels under the Four Seasons chain and is building luxury condos in cities such as London and Singapore.
The Ong family also has a controlling stake in British luxury bag maker Mulberry Group Plc, and recently rejected a takeover bid from Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group Plc.
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