Overview

• Ong Beng Seng pleaded guilty on Aug 4 to abetting the obstruction of justice by arranging belated billing for a flight taken by former transport minister S. Iswaran
• On Aug 15, Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng imposed the maximum S$30,000 fine in lieu of imprisonment due to Ong’s advanced multiple myeloma and other severe health conditions
• Prosecutors say Ong learned in May 2023 that the CPIB had seized the flight manifest and then arranged for Singapore GP to invoice Iswaran months after the Doha trip
• A second charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts was taken into consideration during sentencing but did not result in an additional penalty
• Former minister S. Iswaran continues to serve his 12-month jail term imposed in October 2024 for graft and obstruction offences linked to the same Qatar trip