Singapore’s Indian-origin ex-minister loses bid to obtain witnesses' statements in pre-trial bid

PTI Updated: July 19, 2024 13:16 IST
the-week-pti-wire-updates

Singapore, Jul 19 (PTI) A Singapore court on Friday tossed out a bid by Indian-origin former minister S Iswaran to compel the prosecution into handing over statements of all its witnesses for an alleged corruption-linked trial against him that begins next month.
     Iswaran faces 35 charges, comprising 32 counts of obtaining valuables as a public servant, two counts of corruption and one of obstructing justice, reported Channel News Asia.
     The 62-year-old former transport minister’s trial relating to the charges begins on August 13 in the High Court, the report said.
     Iswaran's lawyers already lost their first attempt in a June hearing not open to the public, and this was their second try in a criminal revision heard on July 5.
     Justice Vincent Hoong said there was nothing in the wording of the Criminal Procedure Code to support the defence's argument that the prosecution is required to disclose all conditioned statements of its witnesses or draft statements of witnesses who do not want to sign off on conditioned statements.
     He also rejected the defence's argument that there has been an abuse of process or serious injustice on the prosecution's part.
     The prosecution said the defence was mischaracterising the prosecution's position and that the defence was the one changing its position.
     The prosecution has disclosed a list of 56 witnesses, including Iswaran's wife, Taylor Kay Mary and his then-personal assistant, Ivy Chan Wan Hiang.
     If convicted of obtaining a valuable thing as a public servant, Iswaran can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.
     If convicted of corruptly obtaining gratification under the Prevention of Corruption Act, he can be jailed for up to seven years, fined up to SGD 100,000 (USD 74,400), or both.
     If convicted of obstructing justice, he can be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)