Singapore: The anti-graft body of Singapore has stated that the country’s Minister for Transport Mr. Subramaniam Iswaran has been arrested in connection with a rare top-level corruption investigation that has also trapped a billionaire hotel tycoon.
“Mr. Iswaran was arrested and subsequently released on bail,” the Corrupt Practises Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a statement confirming the arrest for the first time.
“Hotel tycoon Mr. Ong Beng Seng, one of Singapore’s richest people, was also arrested on the same day and released on bail in connection with the probe,” the bureau further stated.
The bureau has not disclosed details of the investigation that has gripped the city-state, a global financial hub reputed to be among the least corrupt countries in the world.
The investigation of the transport chief by the powerful anti-graft bureau widened after it was disclosed that Mr. Ong was included in the probe.
Mr. Ong is the managing director of Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), which owns a string of high-end hotels and resorts in locations around Asia and the Pacific.
In a recent filing with the Singapore exchange, the company noted that Mr. Ong was given a ‘notice of arrest’ by the CPIB and had posted bail.
While the passports of those under arrest are generally impounded, Mr. Ong was granted permission to leave Singapore, with the CPIB noting it considers requests for travel overseas “on a case-by-case basis.”
The CPIB remarked that it had granted Mr. Ong’s request to travel overseas but increased his bail to $76,000. “Upon his return, Mr. Ong is required to report to the CPIB and surrender his passport to the bureau,” the CPIB added.
Mr. Iswaran had been ordered to go on leave earlier in the week by Prime Minister Mr. Lee Hsien Loong after the CPIB said the minister was “currently assisting” an ongoing investigation.
The PM noted that the anti-graft body had sought his approval for a formal investigation that would involve interviewing Iswaran, among other people.
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