Ong Beng Seng Faces 2 Charges Linked to Iswaran’s Offences; Case Adjourned to 15 Nov

A day after Iswaran was sentenced to a year’s jail, the other party in this case, Ong Beng Seng, is being charged.

Local hotel and real estate magnate Ong Beng Seng, 78, was charged today (4 October) with two offenses related to allegedly abetting former Transport Minister S. Iswaran in accepting benefits as a public servant and intentionally aiding Iswaran in obstructing justice.

Ong Beng Seng Faces 2 Charges Linked to Iswaran’s Offences; Case Adjourned to 15 Nov

While Iswaran’s entrance to the court was usually calm, it wasn’t the case for Ong Beng Seng’s walk to the court.

As he walked, someone from his group seemed to shout, “Don’t make him fall lah, aiyo!” or “Don’t make me fall lah, aiyo!”. His lawyer also has to repeatedly get the media to give way.

That’s likely because the ground was wet as the rain just stopped.

Ong appeared calm as he faced the charges in the State Courts.

His lawyer from Allen & Gledhill requested a six-week adjournment to seek instructions from his client and convey their position to the prosecution.

The prosecution did not object to the request, and the judge granted the adjournment, with the case set to be mentioned again in the State Courts on 15 November.

The first charge alleges that in December 2022, Ong invited Iswaran to travel to Doha on his private jet and provided him with complimentary accommodation at a four-star hotel in Doha, along with a business class ticket back to Singapore, causing Iswaran to commit an offense under Section 165 of the Penal Code. The total value of the benefits provided by Ong in this charge amounts to $20,848.30.

The second charge accuses Ong of intentionally aiding Iswaran in obstructing justice by allowing Iswaran to pay Singapore GP $5,700 on or around 18 May 2023, as reimbursement for his flight from Doha to Singapore.

Earlier today, Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel development firm co-founded by Ong has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s upcoming court appearance.

This was disclosed in an announcement submitted by HPL’s company secretary to the Singapore Exchange at approximately 7:45 am.

The trading halt was attributed to the anticipated release of an announcement.

To know more about Iswaran’s guilty plea, watch this to the end: