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Former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran placed on home detention scheme
Iswaran began his 12-month jail term on Oct 7, 2024. Lawyers confirmed with CNA that in their experience, offenders become eligible for home detention after serving around one-third of their sentence.
S Iswaran arrives at the State Courts to surrender and begin his jail term on Oct 7, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
07 Feb 2025 11:37AM (Updated: 07 Feb 2025 11:41AM)
SINGAPORE: Former transport minister S Iswaran, who is serving a 12-month jail term, was placed on home detention from Friday (Feb 7).
The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) announced this on Friday in response to CNA queries.
"Like all inmates emplaced on the Home Detention Scheme, S Iswaran will serve his remaining sentence at his residence under specified conditions, which include curfew monitoring using an electronic monitoring tag, being gainfully occupied either in work, study or training, and reporting to SPS for counselling," said SPS.
Iswaran began his 12-month jail term on Oct 7, 2024.
Lawyers confirmed with CNA that in their experience, offenders become eligible for home detention after serving around one-third of their sentence.
"During home detention, inmates who have approved employment can leave the home during their working hours while inmates who are unemployed usually only have a few hours out of the home in the afternoons," said Mr Adrian Wee of Lighthouse Law LLC.
The Prisons Act provides for home detention to facilitate inmates' rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Prisoners can be placed on home detention for a period of not more than one year.
They will serve out their sentences at home under certain conditions like curfew monitoring, urine testing and counselling. They can work, study or be involved in community service during this time, with electronic tagging.
To be eligible, they must have served at least 14 days of a jail term lasting at least four weeks. These terms can be varied through a notification in the Government Gazette made by the Minister for Home Affairs.
Eligible prisoners must also meet other conditions, such as not having committed certain offences or not being liable to be removed from Singapore after their release. Inmates serving a life sentence are not eligible.
Separate from home detention, most inmates who display good behaviour in prison are released after serving two-thirds of their sentence.
For Iswaran, that would mean being released on a remission order after serving a sentence of eight months.
THE CASE
Iswaran pleaded guilty on Sep 24, 2024 to four charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which forbids all public servants from obtaining any valuable thing from someone involved with them in an official capacity.These were for obtaining valuables from Singapore GP majority shareholder Ong Beng Seng and construction boss Lum Kok Seng while he held portfolios that had official dealings with the two men.
Iswaran also pleaded guilty to one charge of obstructing justice by belatedly repaying the cost of a flight to Doha.
Another 30 charges under Section 165 were taken into consideration.
Across all charges, he admitted to obtaining S$403,300 (US$300,000) worth of valuables over seven years, including tickets to musicals, Formula 1 events and football matches, as well as alcohol and a Brompton bicycle gifted to him for his 60th birthday.
He resigned from office in January 2024 and has made a voluntary disgorgement of S$380,305.95. This refers to giving up illegally obtained gains.
Ong's case is pending before the courts, while the Attorney-General's Chambers has said they will not file charges against Mr Lum.
