SINGAPORE, July 2 — Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng’s guilty plea hearing has been postponed and replaced with a pre-trial conference scheduled for July 8, according to court records.
According to The Straits Times, the 79-year-old was initially expected to plead guilty on July 3 to charges linked to former transport minister S Iswaran’s corruption case.
Ong faces two charges filed in October 2024, mirroring those for which Iswaran pleaded guilty in September last year.
The Malaysian-born businessman is accused of abetting Iswaran in securing an all-expenses-paid trip to Doha in December 2022 worth approximately S$20,850, which included flights on Ong’s private jet, accommodation at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, and a business class return flight.
A second charge alleges Ong abetted the obstruction of justice by helping Iswaran pay S$5,700 in May 2023 for a flight ticket, after anti-graft investigations had commenced.
Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), where Ong served as managing director, previously said in a Singapore Exchange filing that Ong intended to plead guilty to obstructing justice and have the other charge considered during sentencing.
Ong stepped down from his role at HPL on April 29, citing the need to focus on managing his medical condition.
He is currently undergoing chemotherapy for bone marrow cancer and was previously granted permission to travel abroad for treatment.
Iswaran, who was sentenced to 12 months’ jail in October, began home detention on February 7 and has been out of prison custody since June 6.
