The Victory of Iswaran « Experience « Opinion « TR EMERITUS

I believe many people had popcorn in their hands, ready to watch the Great Show of the century, but ended up in great disappointment. I was not one of them.

I explained earlier when Iswaran was first charged with corruption, it is not so easy for the AGC to prove bribery in this case. Accepting gifts and goodies from “good friends” may be a minor violation of the law, but to prove corruption or bribery, the AGC must prove that favors were given in return. It means that the prosecution must prove that there was a casual relationship between a decision that favored the givers and the gratuities or gifts that Iswaran received.

But since CPIB has done a thorough investigation and charged AGC Iswaran with two counts of corruption, I believe there is some material evidence that has not been revealed so far.

While I am not surprised that AGC has amended these two corruption charges to a lesser charge of accepting gifts as a civil servant, it is still quite dramatic that this is happening at the very beginning of the long-awaited trial.

It is even more dramatic when Iswaran’s lawyer, Mr Davinder Singh, immediately pleaded guilty on behalf of his client, after the corruption charge had effectively been dropped and amended to a lesser charge.
Because this case is of great social importance, it is of great importance to us to gain clarity about the events.

What material evidence did the AGC rely on when deciding to charge Iswaran with corruption? Specifically, what favours was Iswaran seen as having been given in return for the gratuities or gifts he had received?

What material change in the evidence or the case caused the AGC to change its mind about filing the corruption charges and amend these two charges to lesser charges?

It is not unusual for the prosecution and the defense to negotiate a settlement. In this case, however, it is in the public interest that both parties disclose whether the current situation is the result of a settlement.

Although the prosecution is pushing for 6-7 months in prison for Iswaran, this is still a big win for Iswaran. AGC has technically dropped the corruption charges against him and is only asking for 7 months in prison, while the maximum prison sentence for obstruction of justice is 7 years.
So save all your popcorn, people.

Gosh Meng Seng