Formula One Controversy! Tycoon Who Brought F1 To Singapore Pleads Guilty To...
Malaysian tycoon Ong Beng Seng pleaded guilty to obstructing justice in Singapore, related to ex-transport minister S. Iswaran's graft case.
A Malaysian hotel tycoon who played a significant role in bringing Formula One to Singapore pleaded guilty Monday to obstructing justice, in a rare corruption case in the city-state that saw a former transport minister jailed last year.
Singapore-based billionaire Ong Beng Seng, 79, was charged in October last year with assisting former transport minister S. Iswaran in concealing evidence during a graft investigation.
Ong was accused of providing Iswaran with lavish gifts, including tickets to the 2017 Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, private jet flights, business class travel, and a luxury hotel stay.
Ong entered his guilty plea from a glass-encased dock at a district court in downtown Singapore on Monday.
What Did Ong Beng Seng Do?
Prosecutors sought a two-month jail term after Ong agreed to plead guilty. He will be sentenced on August 15.
However, prosecutors also agreed with defence lawyers that the court could exercise 'judicial mercy" due to Ong's poor health, potentially reducing the sentence further.
They asked for a 'stiff fine" instead of imprisonment.
'The risks to Mr. Ong's life increase dramatically in prison," lawyer Cavinder Bull told the court, arguing that prison could not provide adequate care for his client.
'This man is living on the edge," Bull added.
The Attorney General's Chambers said in a statement that after 'considering the medical evidence before the Court," the prosecutors did not object to imposing a fine instead of jail time.
The trial of Malaysia-born Ong attracted significant media attention due to his connections with Iswaran and the affluent city-state's reputation as one of the world's least corrupt nations.
Ong owns Singapore-based Hotel Properties Limited and holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix Formula One race.
He and Iswaran were key figures in bringing the Formula One night race on a street circuit to Singapore in 2008.
In July 2023, Ong was arrested as part of a graft probe involving Iswaran and was subsequently released on bail.
In October last year, Iswaran was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to accepting illegal gifts worth more than Sg$400,000 ($310,000).
He was also found guilty of obstructing justice, in the city-state's first political graft trial in nearly half a century.
Iswaran completed his sentence on June 6.
(With inputs from AFP)
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August 04, 2025, 15:57 IST
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