Who is S. Iswaran? Indian-origin Singapore minister probed over corruption

S. Iswaran: Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) uncovered a case and asked to open a formal investigation.

Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said that he instructed the country's transport minister S. Iswaran to go on leave as the Indian-origin leader faced an anti-graft probe. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) uncovered a case and asked to open a formal investigation that would involve interviewing S Iswaran and others, the prime minister said in a statement.

S. Iswaran: Singapore's Trade and Industry Minister S. Iswaran speaks during a news conference. (Reuters)

“CPIB acknowledges the interest by members of the public in this case because a minister is being interviewed. CPIB will investigate this case thoroughly with strong resolve to establish the facts and the truth, and to uphold the rule of law," the anti-graft agency said in a statement.

Here's all you need to know about Indian-origin Singapore minister S. Iswaran:

1. S. Iswaran was elected as a member of parliament in 1997.
2. He was appointed to the cabinet in 2006.
3. As transport minister, he has been praised for his work in rebuilding Singapore as an air hub in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic.
4. He’s also Singapore’s minister-in-charge of trade relations.
5. “The optics certainly don’t look good for the PAP government, which has always prided itself on incorruptibility,” Eugene Tan, a law professor at Singapore Management University, said.
6. The probe adds to the challenges of the ruling People’s Action Party.
7. Singapore is scheduled to hold a general election by 2025, though polls could be held earlier.
8. The PAP has ruled Singapore since its independence in 1965.
9. Singapore pays its top officials among the world’s highest salaries and prides itself for low corruption. It is ranked as the fifth-least corrupt country in the world by Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index.