Former transport minister S Iswaran’s trial moved back 2 weeks to Sep 24

SINGAPORE: The criminal trial of former transport minister S Iswaran, originally set for Sep 10, has been moved to Sep 24, a spokesperson for the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said on Thursday (Sep 5).
The spokesperson said both the prosecution and defence had requested the court to adjourn the start of the hearing.
“Because it was a joint request, the court acceded to it,” added the AGC spokesperson.
Davinder Singh Chambers, the law firm hired by Iswaran, declined comment when asked why the defence requested an adjournment.
CNA has also contacted the prosecution to ask about its request.
The adjournment comes after the Court of Appeal on Tuesday dismissed Iswaran’s third bid to have the prosecution make available all statements from its intended witnesses.
The 62-year-old Singaporean faces a total of 35 charges, comprising 32 counts of obtaining valuables as a public servant, two counts of corruption and one of obstructing justice.
These relate to his interactions with property tycoon Ong Beng Seng and Mr Lum Kok Seng, the managing director of Singapore Exchange-listed Lum Chang Holdings.
He had succeeded in an earlier application to have the charges heard in a joint trial instead of separately.