The big reversal that broke the glasses! Yi Huaren, who has always denied his guilt, suddenly pleaded guilty during the court hearing this morning.
Today (September 24), the trial of former Singapore's transport minister Yi Huaren for corruption began. His lawyer said Mr. Yi was willing to waive his plea and plead guilty to the judge.
(Yi Huaren before the incident.) Source: Internet)
Prison is a certainty
I don't know how long I sat there
The prosecution pointed out that as a public servant and a senior minister, he had wrongly used his status to receive benefits and shared them with family and friends, and therefore asked the judge to sentence him to six to seven months' imprisonment.
Mr. Wen, the lawyer representing Mr. E, said that Mr. Yi did not want his loved family to continue to suffer because of the case, which was one of the reasons why he was willing to plead guilty.
Mr Man said that if the judge believes that Mr. Yi should be sentenced to prison, then the sentence on each of the five counts he pleaded guilty to should be between one and five weeks, some of which can be served at the same time, so the total should not exceed eight weeks.
To put it simply, Iwaram pleaded guilty, the prosecution asked for a sentence of 7-8 months in prison, and the defense asked for no more than 8 weeks. In other words, the jail sentence is fixed, but it is not known how long it will last.
This is supposed to be the first minister in Singapore's history to be sentenced to prison.
At 1540 p.m., the trial has come to an end, and the case will be adjourned to October 3.
Why did Yi Huaren suddenly confess
Readers familiar with the case know that Yi Huaren has always said that he did not commit corruption and that he wanted to prove his innocence in court.
Why, then, did you suddenly confess your sins today?
The reason is simple.
The prosecution originally brought 35 charges against Mr. E, of which 2 were charges of corruption, 1 was charges of obstruction of justice, and 33 were charges of public servants receiving expensive gifts.
Today, however, the prosecution amended the complaint by changing the original two corruption charges into a charge against public servants receiving expensive gifts. In other words, this morning, Yi Huaren is facing 1 count of obstruction of justice and 34 counts of public servants receiving expensive gifts, and no longer faces corruption charges.
The defense lawyer said that Yi Huaren knew from a long time that accepting valuable property on the grounds of friendship could not be used as a reason for defense.
The implication is that now that the two crimes of embezzlement have been changed to the crime of "public servants receiving expensive gifts", Yi Huaren is willing to plead guilty.
Why are you willing to plead guilty after changing the charge? The offence of corruption is punishable by imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years or a fine not exceeding S$100,000; The offence of "receiving expensive gifts by a public servant" is punishable by imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine, or both.
In this case, out of the 35 counts, the prosecution finally brought four counts of "accepting expensive gifts by public servants" and one count of "perverting the course of justice".
Mr Ewaran has returned S$380,000 to the Treasury as compensation and handed over all the gifts received.
Gifts of more than S$50 are not permitted
Under Singapore law, public servants are not allowed to accept gifts with a value greater than S$50 unless they have accepted the gifts and paid an amount equal to the value of the gifts to the Singapore Government.
In other words, if you like the gift from the other party, of course you can accept it, but you must pay money to the government, which is equivalent to buying the gift from the government.
Any public servant, including a minister or a prime minister, who solicits, receives, or attempts to solicit or receive gifts in excess of S$50 from persons within his or her authority, whether or not he has an exchange of favour with that person, is guilty of the offence of "receiving valuable gifts by a public servant".
It was a wonderful confrontation between the two sides
The prosecution and defense in court this morning are both masters of the legal profession. The prosecution is represented by Senior Deputy Attorney General Tai Wai-hung, the number three in the Attorney General's Office.
The defence was represented by Man Tat-sing, who has been in the industry for more than 30 years and has handled many major cases, including defamation cases involving Lee Kuan Yew and Lee Hsien Loong.
Both of them have the professional status of "senior lawyers", that is, the "queen lawyers" often seen in film and television dramas.
The confrontation between the two in the courtroom was very exciting, sometimes very intense, and a bit of a red-eyed feeling. The debate between the two sides is textbook-ready. We will now look at the five charges that Yi Huaren was provided and the confrontation between the two sides, one by one.
1. Take a private jet and stay in a high-end hotel
A sentence of 3 months in prison is requested
The East Window incident of the Yi Huaren case was actually very accidental.
In 2023, the Corruption Investigation Bureau (BIB) was investigating an unrelated case and obtained a list of passengers on a private jet. The Corruption Investigation Bureau discovered that Yi Huaren, who was the Minister of Transport at the time, had taken the business class of the businessman Wang Xingxing's private jet to Doha, the capital of Qatar, on December 5, 2022; He flew back to Singapore on the 11th.
The prosecution pointed out that Mr Ewaran received more than S$20,000 in benefits for these acts and sought a three-month prison sentence.
The defence pointed out that Wang Xingxing and Yi Huaren had been friends for many years and had known each other before Yi Huaren was in charge of the F1 project. He said that Yi Huaren did not take the initiative to fly to Doha, nor did he take the initiative to ask Wang Xingxing to provide hotel accommodation in Doha.
In fact, the defense said, it was the World Cup organizers who invited Wang Xingxing to watch the final, and Yi Huaren believes that this is an opportunity to see how Doha can host a world-class event.
The defense also said that regardless of whether Yi Huaren was traveling with him or not, Wang Xingxing had already booked a private jet, and there would be no increase in costs because Yi Huaren traveled with him.
The prosecution pointed out that on that trip to Doha in 2022, Yi Huaren took "emergency personal annual leave". Afterwards, Yi Huaren did not declare to the government that he had used Wang Xingxing's private jet free of charge, nor did he declare that Wang Xingxing's hotel accommodation in Doha was arranged by Wang Xingxing.
This one is really hard to explain. If you are going to watch a world-class event for official business, why not take an official business trip but an "emergency private annual leave"? Moreover, since it is a business trip, why not report the public account?
Wang's company, Singapore GP, is the organizer of Singapore F1 racing. And the head of the F1 racing project is Yi Warren. However, the prosecution confirmed in court that there was no evidence that the Singapore government had suffered losses in the Formula 1 contract.
2. Evading investigation by the authorities and obstructing judicial fairness
A sentence of 2 months in prison is requested
While investigating the private jet, the Corruption Investigation Bureau detained the private jet.
Around May 17, 2023, Wang Xingxing called Yi Huaren and told him about it. Yi Huaren instructed Wang Xingxing to ask the GP company to issue a ticket bill to Yi Huaren. On May 23, Iwaran handed over a cheque of S$5,700 to Wang Xingxing through Mok Chee Leung, director of Singapore's GP company, as payment for the use of the private jet.
The prosecution pointed out that Mr I's conduct may have enabled him to evade investigation by the Corruption Investigation Bureau (BIB) and therefore constituted an offence of perverting the course of public justice, and sought a sentence of two months' imprisonment.
The defense pointed out that when Yi Huaren wrote the cheque, he did not falsify the date and made the false impression that "payment had already been arranged", indicating that he did not deliberately deceive the authorities, did not evade investigation, and did not obstruct judicial fairness.
3. Collect 10 tickets to the F1 VIP Lounge
Valued at S$42,265, a four-month sentence is sought
Ewaran's third allegation is that in 2017 he collected 10 F1 VIP tickets worth S$42,265. The prosecution requested a sentence of 4 months in prison.
(F1 VIP room.) Source: GP)
These lounge tickets entitle holders to the air-conditioned lounge, which comes with an attached viewing balcony and drinks to be entertained.
At that time, Wang Xingxing said that he wanted to give Yi Huaren some tickets and asked him how many he wanted. He said he wanted 10. After that, Yi Huaren gave these tickets to a friend.
The prosecution pointed out that Mr Ewaran did not make the payment and did not declare the tickets to the government after receiving them.
The defence explained that prior to accepting the tickets, Mr. Ewarren was not aware of the prohibition of public servants from receiving valuables. However, the defense admits that "those who do not know are not guilty" is not a justification.
The defense lawyer said that when the Corruption Investigation Bureau questioned Mr. Ewara, he immediately took the initiative and truthfully confessed to the collection of these tickets.
The defense also said that the VIP tickets were not for sale, and the GP company gave them to Ewaran, and the company did not suffer any losses as a result.
Moreover, the defence pointed out that Ewaran gave these tickets to people from different backgrounds, including young people, grassroots leaders and volunteers, and the public welfare and philanthropic sectors, with the aim of making F1 more accessible to more people.
As for the tickets that were not sent, Yi Huaren returned them to GP and did not resell them for profit.
The defense also said that when Yi Huaren collected these tickets, he was above board, and he told his secretary about it, and did not hide it.
Fourth, collect expensive bicycles
A sentence of 1 month in prison is requested
Mr. Ewaran's fourth complaint was to receive a high-end bicycle from Lim Kwok Shing, worth more than S$7,000. The prosecution sought a sentence of one month in prison.
In May 2022, Lin Guocheng, the managing director of Lin Zeng Holdings, received an invitation from Yi Huaren to attend his 60th birthday celebration. A month later, before 13 June, Lim suggested that he should give him a small cloth bicycle worth S$7,907.50 on his birthday.
Later, Yi Huaren took the bicycle and did not declare it to the government.
5. Received 14 bottles of wine and demanded a sentence of 1 month in prison
The fifth charge against Mr. Yi was for receiving 14 bottles of whiskey and red wine as gifts from Lam, and the prosecution sought a one-month prison sentence.
According to the prosecution, at the end of 2021, Mr. Lam asked Mr. Lam to help him find whisky and wine, and sent him a screenshot of Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila's whisky for reference.
On January 7, 2022, Lin Guocheng arranged to deliver 14 bottles of whisky and red wine to Yi Huaren's house. Yi Huaren accepted it, but did not declare it to the government.
The prosecution pointed out that at that time, when Mr. Iva-yan was the Minister of Transport, he knew that Mr. Lam's company was building a metro project and that the Land Transport Authority, the authority for the project, was under Mr. Iwaran.
It's not okay for friends to give expensive gifts
The defense lawyer said that from the beginning to the end, Yi Huaren did not use his position to convey benefits to the two gift givers, and even the prosecution admitted that the government did not suffer in the contract for the F1 event; And, although Lim's company was working on a subway project, the project was identified before Mr. Ewaran became transport minister.
Defense lawyers also said that Ehuaren's charges did not affect the image of the Singapore government. On the contrary, it proves that the Singapore government is transparent.
The prosecution countered that whether or not Ewaran had abused his position to seek benefits for the giver, the mere act of accepting a valuable gift constituted a crime.
He said that the willingness of public servants to accept expensive gifts meant that he was not firm in his stance and could be corrupted.
The defense lawyer said that Yi Huaren and the two gift givers had been friends for many years, so he accepted the gifts.
The prosecution retorted that the better the relationship between the two parties, the more they should not accept the gift.
The amount involved is as high as S$400,000
Let's now take a look at the 35 counts that Iwarren faced before:
On January 18 this year, Yi Huaren was charged with 27 counts of receiving various tickets worth S$218,000 from Wong Star, including tickets for F1 cars, football matches and musicals in the United Kingdom, and flying on Wong's private jet.
Later, of the eight charges in March, Mr Ewaran faced a total of 35 charges involving a total of S$400,000.
The case involved two other people
Obtaining improper benefits
The charges relate to hotel and property tycoon Wong Sing-hing, who was arrested on the same day as Mr Ewaran on July 11, 2023, for receiving improper benefits from Wong Sing-hing.
Singapore's Attorney-General's Office has said it will make a decision on the Corruption Investigation Bureau's investigation into hotel tycoon Wang Xingxing after the case involving Yi Huaren is concluded.
At present, it seems that since Yi Huaren is not charged with corruption, then Wang Xingxing and Lin Guocheng seem to be safe.
Prior to entering politics in 2006, Warren was an executive director at Temasek Holdings, and is believed to have had business dealings with Wong since 2003. Since his appointment as Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Iwaram has been in charge of the F1 Singapore Grand Prix. The Singapore Racing Company founded by Wang Xingxing hosts the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, so Wang Xingxing is widely regarded as the main promoter of the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.
(Left: Yi Huaren, right: Wang Xingxing.) Source: E-Warren Facebook)
It also involved the builder Lin Zeng Construction Contracting Company's operating director Lin Guocheng. Refers to the acquisition of valuables by Ewaran during his tenure as Minister of Transport.
According to the Corruption Investigation Bureau's statement, Lam's business is linked to the Ministry of Transport, which is run by Mr Ewarat.
Between November 2021 and November 2022, Lim Ching Holdings, Lim Ching Holdings, is working on the T315 contract for the Tanah Merah MRT station.
(Tanah Merah MRT Station.) Source: SMRT)
In 2016, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) signed a contract with Lim Chin Holdings for a total value of S$325 million to add platforms and tracks to the Tanah Merah MRT station. The project is still under construction and is expected to be completed in 2025.
At the same time, Lin Guocheng sent the above valuables to Yi Huaren without any request (for no consideration).
Under Singapore law, a public official can be sentenced for receiving an advantage even if he has not done anything for the bribe-giver.
The first prime minister in Singapore's history to plead guilty
Mr Ewaram is the first minister to be charged in court since the founding of Singapore. Since he resigned before going to court, he is now the first former minister to plead guilty in court. As his charges have been amended to no longer charge corruption, he is not charged with corruption.
Before Iwarren, there had been three cases of ministerial-level corruption, all of which occurred between the 60s and 80s, almost every decade. One is that after leaving politics, he was disgraced on suspicion of corruption; One was charged and sentenced to three years in prison, but he was not a top minister; One is the number one minister, but he committed suicide by taking drugs before he was officially charged in court.
(Chen Jiayan. Source: NAS)
The first was Chen Jiayan, who served as Minister of National Development from 1960 to 1963 and was the number one. At that time, Singapore was still a self-governing state of the United Kingdom. In 1963, Tan Ka Yan lost the general election, and in the same year, Singapore and Malaysia merged. Tan Ka Yan joined Malaysia Airlines as a director.
Chen Jiayan strongly opposed the purchase of Boeing airliners. Later, one of his friends acted as a broker and offered to provide Boeing with "services at a price." Lee Kuan Yew's government was convinced that Tan Ka Yin was the mastermind, but because the witnesses were unwilling to testify in court, they could not charge him, so they had to remove him from his position on the board of Malaysia Airlines.
(Huang Xunwen.) Source: NAS)
The second was Huang Xunwen, then Minister of State at the Ministry of Environment, equivalent to Vice Minister. In April 1975, he was charged with embezzlement of S$839,023. The complaint alleges that he used his status and position as Minister of State to negotiate with civil servants on behalf of the developer. In return, the developer gave him a S$532,000 detached villa, built a S$3,500 galvanized roof for his house, offered him and his family free airfare to Indonesia for a vacation, and gave him an overdraft worth S$300,000 to speculate on stocks. He was sentenced to four and a half years in prison and fined S$7,023. He later appealed one of the charges and his sentence was reduced to 18 months.
(Zheng Zhangyuan.) Source: NAS)
The third was Zheng Zhangyuan, then Minister of National Development. In November 1986, Cheng was investigated by the Corruption Investigation Bureau for allegedly accepting S$500,000 in bribes in 1981 and S$500,000 each in 1982 to facilitate the developer's purchase of land. During the investigation, Mr. Cheng denied the allegations. Before being charged in court, on December 14, Zheng Zhangyuan committed suicide by taking medicine, and wrote a suicide note to then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew:
"I've been very frustrated for the past two weeks. I should take full responsibility for this unfortunate incident. As an upright gentleman of the East, I deserve the severest punishment for my mistakes - your faithful Zheng Zhangyuan"
ABC, HQ丨Editing
HQ丨Editor
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