PETALING JAYA: Singapores former transport minister S Iswaran has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment following his conviction last week for receiving gifts worth over S$400,000.
Iswaran previously pleaded guilty to four counts of receiving gifts and one of obstructing justice.
Justice Vincent Hoong meted out the one-year sentence in the Singapore High Court today, reported The Straits Times.
A charge of accepting gifts from someone with whom a public official has dealings carries a jail term of up to two years and a fine, while obstructing justice is punishable by up to seven years imprisonment and a fine.
Hoong ordered Iswaran to begin serving his sentence on Oct 7 at 4pm, following a request by the former minister.
Bail was fixed at S$800,000, according to Channel NewsAsia.
The investigation into Iswaran, 62, centred on allegations he accepted lavish gifts from businessmen that included tickets to English Premier League soccer matches, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, London musicals and a ride on a private jet.
The value of these gifts totalled more than S$400,000, the prosecution said.
Delivering the sentence, Hoong said Iswaran occupied executive office at the highest level and wielded influence in matters of great public interest.
He also pointed to how Iswaran, as chairman of the F1 steering committee, oversaw F1 proceedings and was the governments chief negotiator for the Singapore F1 Grand Prix.
Even if there is no evidence he exercised influence over F1 or contracts, his culpability cannot be considered low given his standing as a minister, he said.
Hoong said the amended charges and the remaining 30 charges taken into consideration revealed the scale of the offence and the manner of its repetition over a significant period of time.
He said Iswarans public service and contributions to Singapore were, at most, a neutral factor.
He also said the value of the benefits obtained by Iswaran was the more relevant consideration in sentencing, as a greater value increases the likelihood of harm to public institutions.