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<h2>Singapore&#8217;s Transport Minister S Iswaran was charged with 27 offences in a graft investigation, the anti-corruption agency said on Thursday, 18 January, in one of the highest-profile cases involving a minister in the Asian financial hub in decades</h2>
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<p>In a resignation letter dated Tuesday, 16 January, but published by the prime minister&#8217;s office on Thursday, Iswaran said he rejected the charges and &#8220;will now focus on clearing my name&#8221;.</p>
<p>The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said Iswaran, who was arrested in July last year, was alleged to have obtained kickbacks worth SGD384,340.98 (RM1.3 million) from property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, partly to advance Ong&#8217;s business interests.</p>
<p>Charge sheets show the favours include tickets to football matches, musicals, a flight on Ong&#8217;s private plane, and tickets to the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix.&nbsp;Iswaran&nbsp;was advisor to the Grand Prix&#8217;s steering committee, while Ong owns the rights to the race.</p>
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<p class="img-caption">S Iswaran leaving the State Courts today, 18 January.</p>
<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3248848/singapore-transport-minister-s-iswaran-hit-27-charges-corruption-probe" rel="noopener">Bloomberg via SCMP</a></small>
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<h2>Iswaran faces a total of 27 charges, including corruption and obstructing the course of justice, the CPIB said in a statement</h2>
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<p>If convicted of corruption, he could be fined up to SGD100,000 (RM351,000) or face seven years in prison.</p>
<p>There was no immediate response to emails seeking comment from Ong&#8217;s office. The property tycoon was also arrested in July as part of the corruption probe. He has not been charged.</p>
<p>The case has gripped Singapore, a major Asian financial hub that prides itself on a squeaky clean government that is rarely affected by graft and scandals involving political leaders.</p>
<p>Civil servants are highly paid to discourage corruption. The annual salary of many cabinet ministers exceeds SGD1 million (RM3.51 million).</p>
<p>In 2022, Transparency International ranked the city-state the fifth least corrupt country in its International Corruption Perceptions Index of 180 nations.</p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/singapore-transport-minister-charged-court-graft-case-local-media-2024-01-18" rel="noopener">Kelvin Chng/The Straits Times via Reuters</a></small>
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<h2>Ruling party hit</h2>
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<p><p>Iswaran, 61, joined Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong&#8217;s cabinet as a junior minister in 2006 and held trade and communications portfolios before becoming transport minister in May 2021.</p>
<p>The last corruption case involving a minister was in 1986 when the national development minister was investigated for allegedly accepting bribes. The minister died before he could be charged in court.</p>
<p>Singapore is due to hold elections by 2025. In August, Lee admitted his ruling People&#8217;s Action Party (PAP) had taken a hit over the graft probe and the resignations of two senior PAP lawmakers on account of an &#8220;inappropriate relationship&#8221;.</p>
<p>The party is also due for a leadership transition with Lee promising to hand the baton to his successor Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong by November.</p>
<p>Addressing local media on Thursday, Wong acknowledged the graft case&#8217;s negative impact on the PAP but said it would not affect leadership transition plans.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are disappointed by what has happened. We are saddened. We are disappointed that&nbsp;Iswaran&nbsp;had to leave politics under these circumstances. But the PAP stance on corruption is non-negotiable,&#8221; said Wong.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have announced that the leadership transition will take place before the next general election and before the party conference this year. This plan remains on track.&#8221;</p>
<p>Referring to&nbsp;Iswaran&#8217;s case at a PAP event last November, Lee said the party must &#8220;show Singaporeans and the world that after half a century in government, the PAP’s standards remain as high as ever&#8221;.</p>
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Singapore Transport Minister Charged For Allegedly Accepting RM1.3M From Business Tycoon

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<h2>The director and producer of the controversial local film <em>Mentega Terbang</em> have been charged at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate&#8217;s Court today, 17 January, for intentionally hurting religious sentiments</h2>
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<p>The movie, which centres around the religious conflicts faced by a Muslim teenager, was officially banned in Malaysia on 1 September 2023.</p>
<p>The ban was imposed after the Malaysian Islamic Development Department determined that the film&#8217;s contents contradicted the beliefs and way of life of Muslims following the Syafie school of thought in Malaysia. </p>
<p>Four months after the ban, the film&#8217;s director, Mohd Khairi Anwar Jailani, and its producer, Tan Meng Kheng, were charged in court under Section 298 of the Penal Code, reported the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2024/01/1002294/mentega-terbang-film-director-and-producer-charged-magistrates">New Straits Times.</a></p>
<p>The charge pertains to actions with the deliberate intention to wound the religious feelings of any person. This includes uttering words, making sounds or gestures, or placing objects. It carries a punishment of imprisonment of up to one year, a fine, or both upon conviction.</p>
<p>The offence allegedly took place on 26 February last year at the Diamond Regency apartment in Kuala Lumpur at 12.34pm.</p>
<p>The duo, who was represented by the lawyers N. Surendran and Zaid Malek, pled not guilty at the magistrate&#8217;s court.</p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/693400" rel="noopener">Azneal Ishak/Malaysiakini</a></small>
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<h2>Deputy public prosecutor Nor Azizah Aling proposed RM10,000 bail for each accused and a gag order against commenting on the case until its disposal</h2>
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<p>&#8220;The bail is a condition to ensure [both] the accused come to court without fail so that the trial can go on smoothly,&#8221; NST quoted her as saying.﻿</p>
<p>Nor Azizah argued that the gag order was necessary as the accused had made comments on the case after receiving notices to appear in court and before the proceedings today, 17 January.</p>
<p>She also requested the defendants to report to the nearest police station and surrender their passports to the court.</p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/01/16/mentega-terbang-director-slams-criminal-action-over-film/" rel="noopener">Free Malaysia Today</a></small>
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<h2>In response, the defendants&#8217; counsel, Surendran, objected to the proposed bail sum, deeming it to be excessive</h2>
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<p>He argued for a bail sum of RM1,000 for both Khairi and Tan, considering Khairi&#8217;s role as an independent filmmaker and Tan&#8217;s occupation as a schoolteacher with a monthly income below RM3,000. </p>
<p>Surendran also contended that the gag order was unnecessary, stating it as an unlawful move without basis. He further argued that both his clients were not flight risks and would not abscond.</p>
<p>Subsequently, Khairi and Tan were granted RM6,000 and RM6,500 bail with one surety, respectively. </p>
<p>The gag orders remained and Khairi was ordered to report to the Kajang district police headquarters monthly until the case&#8217;s disposal. </p>
<p>The date for the mention of the case in court has been scheduled for 14 March.</p>
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<p class="img-caption">Mohd Khairi Anwar (left) with defence counsel N. Surendran.</p>
<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/01/17/mentega-terbang-director-charged-with-hurting-religious-feelings-of-others/" rel="noopener">Free Malaysia Today</a></small>
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Director & Producer Of 'Mentega Terbang' Charged In Court For Hurting Religious Sentiments