Ong Beng Seng's Next Court Date Set for July 23

Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng will have his case heard in court again on July 23 in a pre-trial conference. This follows an adjournment of his July 8 hearing for parties to file revised papers. The case is linked to former transport minister S. Iswaran.

Ong, 79, was initially scheduled to plead guilty on July 3 but was rescheduled one day before the hearing as more time was needed for further submissions on sentencing. The billionaire was charged on Oct 4, 2024, with abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and abetting the obstruction of justice.

Court documents allege that Ong arranged for Mr Iswaran to fly on his private plane from Singapore to Doha, stay at Four Seasons Hotel Doha, and provided a business-class flight from Doha to Singapore. Ong allegedly informed Mr Iswaran about the seized flight manifest, leading to the abetment of obstruction of justice charge.

Ong is known for bringing Formula One (F1) to Singapore in 2008, the first night race in the sport's history. Mr Iswaran played a key role in negotiations related to the race. The two men worked together to convince Bernie Ecclestone to choose Singapore as the venue for the historic night race.

According to the source: The Straits Times.