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SINGAPORE: Property tycoon
Ong Beng Seng, the man who brought Formula 1 to Singapore, has
pleaded guilty on Monday (Aug 4).
The charges are linked to his dealings with
former transport minister S Iswaran.
He arrived at the State Courts at 9am, looking frail but still able to walk, albeit with assistance.
At about 10.30am, after proceedings were interrupted by two false fire alarms, Ong pleaded guilty.
Sentencing arguments are taking place right now.
2 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Defence on Singapore Prison Service's healthcare facilities
The defence said that the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) wrote three letters with input on its healthcare facilities. In all three letters, SPS said it has an “adequate system of healthcare”.
“This is clearly a carefully chosen phrase which accurately describes the level of healthcare they can deliver. I have no doubt this is sufficient for most prisoners,” Mr Bull said.
He noted, however, that this was insufficient for Ong. SPS did not provide its thoughts on whether or not jail would carry an increased risk of endangering Ong’s life.
“All it said was Mr Ong would receive care comparable to the standard level of medical services in public health care institutions. SPS is not saying the same level of care, it is saying comparable, which is not the same.”
“You honour knows this man is living on the edge. It will take time before they can even develop a medical care plan for Mr Ong … But considering the narrow … margin Mr Ong survives within, he cannot be taken out of his present medical care plan then wait for a period before SPS is ready to put another medical healthcare plan in place,” Mr Bull said.
12 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Jail carries high risk of endangering Ong’s life: Defence
Citing medical experts, Mr Cavinder Bull said sending his client to prison would significantly increase the risk of danger to his life.
“Mr Ong is now living within a very narrow margin where there is no room for error,” Mr Bull said.
“We are also fortunate that Mr Ong lives 20 minutes away from NUH. We remain vigilant as Mr Ong tends to underestimate his condition when he is unwell,” he added, referring to how Ong had not realised his blood pressure was dangerously low at one point.
18 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
More on Ong’s health condition
Ong suffers from peripheral vascular disease on both feet and has a non-healing wound on his toe, and because he is immuno-compromised, it represents a serious risk of infection and gangrene, the defence said.
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2 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
More on Ong’s health condition
Ong suffers from peripheral vascular disease on both feet and has a non-healing wound on his toe, and because he is immuno-compromised, it represents a serious risk of infection and gangrene, the defence said.
This risk is multiplied in prison, while his home environment will be more controlled, said Mr Cavinder Bull.
More people coming and going in prisons means there will be more pathogens, he added.
Ong’s condition has also compromised his spine, with a metal rod inserted - which also poses a risk of infection.
Ong is also at a high fall risk which could result in paralysis, permanent disability or life-threatening injury, the defence said.
Cramps in Ong’s lower body could mean that he loses control of his body, with doctors saying that “every day could become a gamble between motion and collapse”.
10 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Mitigation, arguments by defence
Senior counsel Cavinder Bull opened the defence’s mitigation by stressing the seriousness of his client’s medical condition.
“Mr Ong is a person who suffers from a number of tremendously serious medical problems including advanced multiple myeloma, a malignant life-threatening cancer of the plasma cells. It is incurable,” said Mr Bull.
“This is a disease that kills. There is no cure.”
A top expert on the condition has said that Mr Ong “represents one of the most complex and high-risk cases of multiple myeloma”, Mr Bull said.
The lawyer said that the risks for Ong were being managed because he is under close surveillance.
According to the defence, Ong has had multiple bouts of serious infections in the last four years, but survived them as he was under “very close medical surveillance”.
But the situation will be very different in prison, Mr Bull said.
“When something happens in prison, the doctor who sees Mr Ong will not be a specialist in multiple myeloma, nor will he be familiar with his history. The doctor who sees him might not even be the same doctor who saw him before.
“Prisons will have to refer him to public hospitals to be reviewed before he can be treated. This is quite unlike his present situation where his specialist doctors have immediate access to Mr Ong.”
18 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Ong's aggravating factors
The prosecution raised three aggravating factors. It noted the serious nature of investigations that were obstructed.
“This involves a sitting minister with whom the accused had official dealings and this underlying offence is a serious one as its object is to safeguard the integrity of public institutions. Such offences require a strong deterrence,” said Deputy Chief Prosecutor Christopher Ong.
The second factor was how Ong’s actions were pivotal to facilitating Iswaran.
“After the accused learnt about CPIB (investigations), he alerted Iswaran. If not for Ong, Iswaran would not have known at all.”
Ong himself was implicated in investigations, Mr Ong said, raising the prosecution's third point.
However, Ong was less culpable than Iswaran, who acted with deliberation and premeditation, and was a minister, he added.
Iswaran’s actions, as he had admitted, stemmed from his personal perceived interest in avoiding CPIB’s investigations into the gifts received by him.
The offence by Iswaran, who was a sitting minister, was found by the High Court to be a grave culpability increasing factor.
26 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Prosecution on the issue of judicial mercy
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Christopher Ong noted that the defence’s position was that the court should impose a fine on Ong on the grounds of judicial mercy.
Judicial mercy refers to the discretionary power of the courts to impose a more lenient sentence than what the offence would ordinarily warrant in light of exceptional mitigating circumstances.
For the prosecution, Mr Ong said it accepted that there was a basis for the court to consider the exercise of judicial mercy.
“In the event the court is not minded to exercise judicial mercy, then we’ll have to consider the impact of ill health as a mitigating factor,” Mr Ong said, adding that the prosecution will leave the extent of any reduction to the court.
27 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Ong convicted, prosecution arguing on sentence
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Christopher Ong outlined the sentencing issues for the court.
He said that both sides start with the position that - before Ong’s medical conditions come into play - a jail term was warranted.
Mr Ong said that ordinarily, Ong's offence would call for a jail term with a starting point of 12 weeks, which would be reduced to eight weeks after factoring in a sentencing discount for Ong's early plea of guilt.
The defence’s starting point is nine weeks’ jail, reduced to six weeks after factoring in a discount.
“However, with these starting points in mind, the court will have to turn to the key issue in this case. What impact the accused’s serious, complex and incurable medical condition will have on the sentence the court metes out,” Mr Ong said.
Ong suffers from multiple myeloma, a rare type of bone marrow cancer characterised by the abnormal expansion of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow.
He has a severely compromised immune system, making him vulnerable to life-threatening infections, Mr Ong noted.
34 minutes ago
Lydia Lam
In the courtroom
Ong pleads guilty
Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting S Iswaran in obstructing justice by billing him for flight.
Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty
SINGAPORE: Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng pleaded guilty on Monday (Aug 4), in a case linked to former transport minister S Iswaran. Ong, 79, admitted to one charge of abetting Iswaran in obstructing the course of justice by helping the latter pay S$5,700 (US$4,480) to Singapore GP for a business class flig
www.channelnewsasia.com
35 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Obstruction of justice charge
The CPIB came across a flight manifest of the outbound flight on Ong's private jet when investigating a matter related to associations of Ong on May 17, 2023, Mr Ong said.
On May 18, 2023, Ong was informed by his associates that CPIB had seized the manifest, and that CPIB had questioned them about the Doha trip.
In the following days, Ong told Iswaran about how CPIB had seized the flight manifest.
Iswaran then asked Ong to have Singapore GP bill him for expenses related to the Doha trip, including the cost of the Doha-Singapore flight on Dec 11, 2022. Ong agreed to this, asking a director of Singapore GP to arrange for payment by Iswaran.
After receiving the invoice, Iswaran issued a cheque for S$5,700 to Singapore GP - the cost of the Doha-Singapore flight - on or about May 25, 2023.
“Iswaran’s act of making payment for the said flight ticket had a tendency to obstruct the course of justice, as it made it less likely that he would be investigated by CPIB in relation to the Doha trip,” said Mr Ong, the prosecutor.
Ong knew that Iswaran’s act of making payment for the flight was likely to obstruct the course of justice, he added.
37 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Ong asked Iswaran if he would like to join him on a trip to Qatar
On or before Dec 6, 2022, Ong asked Iswaran if he would like to join him on a trip to Qatar.
“The accused informed Iswaran that he would be travelling to Qatar on his private jet and that Iswaran would be going as his guest and that the accused would look after him, by which the accused meant that he would take care of all the expenses for the trip including Iswaran’s hotel accommodation,” Mr Ong, the prosecutor, said.
Iswaran accepted, travelling to Doha on Dec 10, 2022 on Ong's private jet. The flight cost about US$7,700.
He then stayed at Four Seasons Hotel for one night. The bill of S$4,737.63 was footed by Singapore GP on Ong’s instructions.
On Dec 11, 2022, Iswaran took a business class flight back to Singapore, which cost S$5,700. This was also paid by Singapore GP.
Iswaran did not declare the flights or the hotel stay.
38 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Statement of facts being read out
Reading out the statement of facts, Mr Christopher Ong set out the background of the offences, which are similar to those in Iswaran's case.
Ong Beng Seng was the majority shareholder of Singapore GP, which was incorporated on May 3, 2007.
Singapore GP was responsible for organising and promoting the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix annually between 2008 and 2023, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It entered into contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board between 2012 and 2022 for the promotion, hosting and staging of the annual Singapore Grand Prix.
Iswaran was Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations and was also the chairman of the F1 Steering Committee - a body set up by the government to oversee the F1 race.
43 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Charges being read out
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Christopher Ong is setting out which charge Ong will plead guilty to, which will be the one under Section 204A of the Penal Code, while Section 165 will be taken into consideration for sentencing.
The clerk is proceeding to read out the charge, with the defence confirming that his client understands.
45 minutes ago
Koh Wan Ting
In the courtroom
Court session finally resumes
After the unexpected interruptions, the court is finally in session for Ong’s plead guilty mention.
Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng returns to the courtroom.
