Iswaran hit with eight new charges, pleads not guilty

He is accused of obtaining 19,000 in items such as whisky, golf clubs, Brompton bicycle

- Samuel Devaraj and Wong Shiying

Former transport minister S. Iswaran was handed eight new charges in court on March 25.

These are under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which makes it an offence for public servants to accept gifts from someone involved with them in an official capacity.

When asked by District Judge Brenda Tan, Iswaran – who now faces 35 charges in total – said he pleaded not guilty to the additional charges.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a statement on March 25 that Iswaran had allegedly obtained, as a public servant, valuables with a total value of about $18,956.94 from a Lum Kok Seng.

Iswaran had allegedly known him to be involved in business that had a connection with his official function as minister for transport.

These alleged offences were committed between November 2021 and November 2022.

According to charge sheets, the items include bottles of whisky, golf clubs and a Brompton bicycle that cost $7,907.50.

The business transacted involved a contract between Lum Chang Building Contractors and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for addition and alteration works to Tanah Merah MRT station and existing viaducts.

The website of Lum Chang, a property management, interior design and construction firm, lists Mr Lum as its managing director.

The firm’s construction arm, Lum Chang Building Contractors, has taken on multibillion-dollar civil, building and infrastructural projects in Singapore, including being the main contractor for Bukit Panjang MRT station along the Downtown Line.

An LTA spokesperson said on March 25 that the statutory board has two ongoing projects with Lum Chang Building Contractors, including the one at Tanah Merah station that was awarded in October 2016.

The other project is the construction of the North-South Corridor tunnel between Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and Avenue 9 that was awarded in December 2018.