F1 tycoon Ong Beng Seng admits guilt in Singapore’s Iswaran gifts scandal
The 79-year-old businessman pleaded guilty on Monday to one charge of abetting obstruction of justice. His sentencing is set for August 15
Ong, a 79-year-old Malaysian national, entered a guilty plea to a single charge of abetting Iswaran in obstructing justice, admitting to relaying sensitive information about an ongoing anti-corruption investigation to the then minister. His sentencing is scheduled for August 15.
The case has riveted Singapore, a nation that consistently tops global anti-corruption rankings and prides itself on the probity of its public officials, who are among the world’s best paid.
According to court documents, Ong’s offence centred on phone conversations held in May 2023. The majority shareholder of Singapore GP Pte Ltd – the company that organised the Singapore F1 Grand Prix – was informed by his associates on May 18 that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau had seized a flight manifest detailing a trip to Doha.
Ong then passed this information to Iswaran, the court heard, who subsequently requested that Singapore GP invoice him S$5,700 (US$4,260) for a business class ticket from Doha to Singapore.