Singapore Grand Prix rights owner charged in former transport minister gifts case

The rights owner to Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix has been charged in connection with a major corruption case surrounding the country’s former transport minister.

S. Iswaran was jailed for a year on Thursday after being found guilty of receiving gifts while in office.

The owner of the rights to the race in Singapore’s Marina Bay, Ong Beng Seng, has now been charged having been accused of giving alleged kickbacks to Iswaran – who announced his resignation earlier in the year.

It is claimed by prosecutors that Ong, the 78-year-old Malaysian based in Singapore, gave Iswaran tickets to the F1 race, Premier League matches and a ride on a private jet – with the gifts totalling more than $300,000.

Ong has not entered a plea but his company, Hotel Properties Ltd – which includes brands such as the Four Seasons – asked for a trading halt on Friday.

Ong, who also has a stake in Mulberry – was arrested by Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in July 2023 and the Attorney General’s Chambers confirmed on Friday he has been charged under Section 165, in relation to the abetting of Iswaran receiving gifts as well as an additional charge of obstruction of justice.

Iswaran’s role of transport minister meant he dealt with Ong’s Singapore GP Pte, which promotes the grand prix, as an advisor but the state revealed earlier in the year that the 2024 race would proceed as normal despite the allegations.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Against the backdrop of the ongoing scandal, Singapore hosted the 2024 race last month as McLaren’s Lando Norris took a dominant victory at Marina Bay.

F1 returned to Singapore in 2008 as the first night race to ever be staged in the series, running through to 2019 until a two-year hiatus due to Covid.

The race has been labelled as one of the toughest on the Formula 1 calendar with the challenges of a street circuit meeting the high heat and humidity to create a difficult test for drivers.

Singapore’s current contract with Formula 1 is in place until 2028 after an extension to the deal was announced two years ago.