Billionaire F1 boss Ong Beng Seng admits guilt in explosive Singapore corruption case
A Malaysian hotel tycoon who helped bring Formula One to Singapore pleaded guilty Monday to abetting the obstruction of 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 helping former transport minister S. Iswaran cover up evidence in a graft investigation.
He was also accused of showering Iswaran with lavish gifts, including tickets to the 2017 Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, flights on a private jet, business class travel, and a luxury hotel stay while Iswaran was working in his official capacity.
Ong entered his guilty plea from a glass-encased dock at a district court in downtown Singapore on Monday.
Prosecutors sought a two-month jail term after Ong agreed to plead guilty. He will be sentenced on August 15.
But prosecutors also agreed with defence lawyers that the court could show "judicial mercy" -- which could further reduce any sentence.
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