18-1-2024 (SINGAPORE) In the wake of the recent resignation of former Transport Minister S Iswaran, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has announced that Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will step into the role of Minister for Transport, effective from January 18, 2024. Concurrently, Chee has been appointed Second Minister for Finance.
Additionally, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu will take over the responsibility of Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, a position formerly held by Iswaran at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).
The PMO disclosed these changes following the morning announcement of 27 charges brought against Iswaran, including criminal charges of obtaining valuables as a public servant and corruption charges for receiving gratification. Iswaran has pleaded not guilty and is currently out on bail amounting to S$800,000.
The completion of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau’s (CPIB) probe into Iswaran was made public on January 9, 2024, by Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing. The investigation, initiated in May 2023, led to Iswaran’s arrest on July 11, 2023, alongside billionaire hotelier Ong Beng Seng. Iswaran was released on bail and put on a leave of absence until the conclusion of CPIB’s investigations.
