SINGAPORE – Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng has been granted permission to leave Singapore amid ongoing court proceedings which saw him handed two charges earlier in the month.
The 78-year-old, who appeared in the State Courts with his lawyer just before noon, has to provide additional bail of $800,000 for a work-related trip to London, Boston, Gibraltar and Spain.
Ong was already on $800,000 bail following his appearance in court on Oct 4 over a criminal investigation that involved former transport minister S.Iswaran.
The billionaire was charged with one count of abetment under Section 165, which makes it an offence for a public servant to accept anything of value from any person with whom he is involved in an official capacity without payment or with inadequate payment.
According to court documents, the businessman allegedly instigated Iswaran to obtain a valuable item in December 2022 by offering the then minister a trip from Singapore to Doha.
The flight on Ong’s private plane was valued at US$7,700 (S$10,400).
Ong also arranged a one-night stay in Four Seasons Hotel Doha with a value of $4,737.63; and a business class flight from Doha to Singapore, valued at $5,700, for Iswaran.
Ong was also charged with the abetment of obstruction of justice.
He had allegedly alerted Iswaran that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had seized the flight manifest for the December 2022 trip, prompting Iswaran to ask the tycoon to bill him for the flight to avoid investigations.
Ong, who is the chairman of Formula One (F1) race promoter Singapore GP, was among a number of individuals called up by CPIB over the Iswaran probe.
He is known as the man who brought F1 to Singapore in 2008 – the first night race in the sport’s history. He owns the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix.
Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters related to the race.
The two men had worked in the mid-2000s to convince then Formula One Group chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to make Singapore the venue for the sport’s first night race.
Iswaran, 62, had faced a total of 35 charges, most of which involved Ong. But the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said no additional charges will be brought against Ong over the former minister’s case.
Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months’ jail on Oct 3 for, among other things, accepting a number of valuable items from Ong.
Ong’s lawyer had on Oct 4 asked the court for a six-week adjournment, saying he needed time to take instructions from his client.
He is due back in court on Nov 15.
If convicted of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, Ong can be jailed for up to two years, fined or both.
He can be jailed for up to seven years, fined or both, if convicted of abetting obstruction of justice.
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