Singapore’s transport minister, who was suspended after the anti-corruption agency launched an investigation into one of the city-state’s wealthiest residents, has been arrested, the agency said.
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Secretary S. Iswaran was “arrested on July 11, 2023” and “then released on bail,” the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) told AFP late in the day on Friday.
Hotel magnate Ong Beng Seng, one of Singapore’s wealthiest people, was also arrested the same day and also released on bail, the CPIB said.
The authority did not provide any information on the investigations in the city-state, a country that is one of the least corrupt in the world. In Singapore, ministers are paid salaries that match the best in the private sector to discourage corruption.
Although the passports of those arrested were confiscated, the CPIB said it was considering requests to travel abroad “on a case-by-case basis”.
He said he gave in to “Ong Beng Seng’s request to go abroad,” but said he increased his bail to S$100,000.
“Upon his return, Ong Beng Seng must report to the CPIB and surrender his passport,” the anti-corruption agency added.
The investigation into the transport minister was extended to include the billionaire after the CPIB learned of his involvement in the case.
Hotel Properties Limited, of which Ong Beng Seng is Managing Director, owns Four Seasons and Hilton hotels and has offices in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, among others.
In a document filed with the Singapore Stock Exchange on Friday, the group said Mr Ong received a “detention notice” from the CPIB and posted bail.
Mr Ong, a Malaysian permanent resident of Singapore, helped bring the Formula 1 Grand Prix to the city-state in 2008.
His private company Singapore GP and the Singapore Tourism Board last year extended the deal to host the Grand Prix until 2028.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong asked Mr Iswaran to take a leave of absence after the CPIB reassured him that the minister was “currently” cooperating with an ongoing investigation.
The prime minister said the anti-corruption agency had asked him for his consent to a formal investigation that would include questioning the minister.