SINGAPORE: The criminal proceedings against property tycoon Ong Beng Seng have been adjourned once more, with a fresh pre-trial conference scheduled for 23 July 2025.
The 79-year-old Malaysian businessman, who has been implicated in a corruption case involving former Transport Minister S Iswaran, attended a closed-door pre-trial conference in the State Courts on 8 July.
Court records indicate the adjournment was made “for parties to file revised papers”, though no further details on the nature of these documents were disclosed, as per reported by state media CNA.
The judiciary had previously noted that both the prosecution and defence intended to file additional submissions pertaining to sentencing.
Ong is currently facing two charges.
The first relates to the alleged abetment of Iswaran in obstructing the course of justice.
This charge stems from Ong’s purported assistance in paying S$5,700 to Singapore GP for a business class flight ticket from Doha to Singapore, months after the flight had taken place and only after the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) found Iswaran’s name on the manifest during an unrelated probe.
The second charge accuses Ong of instigating Iswaran to receive flights and accommodation, despite the latter’s awareness that Ong had business dealings connected to his ministerial role.
Ong was initially due to plead guilty on 3 July, but the hearing was converted into a pre-trial conference after both sides requested further time to prepare sentencing submissions.
He was first charged in October 2024 with two offences that mirror those to which Iswaran has pleaded guilty.
Ong, the former managing director of Hotel Properties Limited, stepped down from the role on 29 April 2025, citing a need to focus on his medical condition.
The company had earlier disclosed to the Singapore Exchange that Ong would plead guilty to the obstruction charge, with the second charge to be taken into consideration during sentencing.
Ong is undergoing chemotherapy for bone marrow cancer and has previously been granted permission to travel overseas for medical reasons.
Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months’ jail in October 2024. He was placed on home detention from 7 February and has been out of custody since 6 June 2025.
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