Singapore ex-transport minister sentenced to 12 months in prison in landmark corruption case

A former Singaporean minister, S Iswaran, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for improperly receiving gifts and obstructing justice. This is the first time a former cabinet member has been jailed in Singapore, a country known for its well-paid bureaucracy. Iswaran pleaded guilty to four counts of receiving gifts and one count of obstructing justice, and the sentence handed down was more severe than the six to seven months sought. The total value of the gifts accepted by Iswaran was $331,200. This case marks the first conviction of a former cabinet member in Singapore in nearly 50 years.