Rich Ong Beng Seng Received a Fine in the Gift Case

• Ong Beng Seng received a fine for the provision of dubious evidence.
• The court took into account the poor health condition of the businessman during the sentencing.
• The case was violated through gifts provided to the former Minister of Transport.

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Rich Ong Beng Seng from Singapore received a fine in the amount of 30,000 Singapore dollars (23,400 USD) following the recognition of guilt in the case related to gifts that caused corruption in the country. Ong, who is the owner of a hotel business, admitted that he provided gifts to the former Minister of Transport Subramaniam Iswaran to influence evidence during the investigation of corruption.

In court, the 79-year-old businessman received a softened sentence due to his poor health condition, including through a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a rare form of bone marrow cancer. Judge Lee Lit Cheng noted that the illness could threaten his life.

The case regarding the gifts began after Ong invited Iswaran to Qatar during the World Cup football championship in December 2022. Iswaran accepted the invitation, but later turned to Ong's company with a request to pay for business class tickets for the return to Singapore. This happened because anti-corruption authorities in the country began an investigation.

It is worth noting that Singaporean ministers do not have the right to accept gifts that do not pay their market value to the state. Legislators in Singapore receive some of the highest salaries in the world, which, according to them, helps combat corruption.

Ong Beng Seng, who previously held the position of general director of Hotel Properties Limited, is one of the richest people in Singapore with a fortune of 1.7 billion dollars.

Tags: Crime