Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng's case adjourned again

SINGAPORE: Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, who has been embroiled in criminal allegations linked to former Transport Minister S Iswaran, has had his case adjourned for another pre-trial conference.

The 79-year-old Malaysian had a pre-trial conference in the State Courts on Tuesday (Jul 8). This hearing, which was not open to the public or media, resulted in another pre-trial conference scheduled for Jul 23.

According to court records, the adjournment was "for parties to file revised papers".

It is unclear what papers these are but the judiciary had previously stated that both sides wished to file further submissions on sentencing. CNA has contacted the Attorney-General's Chambers for more information.

A spokesperson for Ong declined to comment when approached by CNA.

Ong faces two charges, first for abetting Iswaran in obstructing the course of justice by helping the latter pay S$5,700 (US$4,480) to Singapore GP for a business class flight ticket from Doha to Singapore.

This was a delayed payment allegedly made months after the flight itself and only after the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) discovered Iswaran's name on the flight manifest when investigating a separate case.

The second charge is for instigating Iswaran to obtain flights and a hotel stay from Ong. This was when Iswaran knew Ong had business dealings linked with Iswaran's official functions.

Ong, known for bringing Formula 1 to Singapore in 2008, was first charged with two offences in October 2024 that correspond to two of the charges Iswaran pleaded guilty to.

He was previously set to plead guilty on Jul 3, but this was changed to a pre-trial conference, with a judiciary spokesperson saying both sides had asked for more time to file sentencing submissions.

Ong was the managing director of Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), which previously stated in a Singapore Exchange (SGX) announcement that Ong would plead guilty to the charge of obstructing justice, while admitting to have the other charge taken into consideration for sentencing.

He stepped down on Apr 29 for medical reasons, according to a bourse filing by the company.