Ong, 79, admitted to having Iswaran belatedly charged for a S$5,700 (US$4,480) business class flight ticket from Doha to Singapore, Channel News Asia reported.
The charge is one of two brought against the tycoon. The other charge, abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, will be taken into consideration during sentencing.
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Malaysian hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng (C) leaves the State Court in Singapore on August 4, 2025. Malaysian hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng pleaded guilty Aug. 4, 2025, to a charge linked to the city-state’s former transport minister who was jailed for corruption. Photo by AFP |
According to the prosecution, Ong arranged and covered the costs of a December 2022 trip to Doha for Iswaran, which included a flight to Doha on Ong’s private jet valued at US$7,700, a one-night stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha costing S$4,737.63 and a business-class flight back to Singapore worth S$5,700.
The costs were allegedly paid by Singapore GP at Ong’s instructions. At the time, Ong was the majority shareholder of the firm, which was responsible for organizing and promoting the Singapore Grand Prix race.
“Iswaran did not declare to the Government of Singapore that he had obtained the outbound flight on the accused’s private jet, the hotel accommodation at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, or the Doha-SG Flight ticket from the accused,” the prosecution said, as quoted by The Straits Times.
In May 2023, after discovering that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau had obtained the flight manifest for the Doha trip, Ong allegedly alerted Iswaran and agreed to his request to have Singapore GP bill him for the trip’s expenses.
Iswaran subsequently issued a check for S$5,700 to Singapore GP for the return flight, a move the prosecution said was likely to reduce the chances of CPIB launching an investigation into the trip.
The prosecution claimed Ong was aware that this would likely obstruct the course of justice.
Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment in October 2024 after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including accepting gifts from Ong.
Based on the former minister’s sentence, the prosecution said they would have sought an eight-week jail term for Ong.
However, due to Ong’s medical condition, both the prosecution and defense agreed that judicial mercy is warranted, with the former suggesting that the maximum fine be imposed instead.
Judicial mercy allows Singapore’s courts to impose a lighter sentence than usual in light of exceptional mitigating circumstances, such as serious illness, according to The Business Times.
Ong has been diagnosed with advanced multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer that has severely damaged his immune system and left him susceptible to potentially fatal infections.
Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng, who presided over the hearing, said sentencing would be deferred to Aug. 15 following discussions with both parties. Should the judge grant judicial mercy, Ong would avoid a jail term.
Ong previously served as managing director of Hotel Properties Limited, which has interests in 41 hotels across 17 countries, including properties under renowned brands like Como Hotels and Resorts, Four Seasons, and Marriott International.
In the mid-2000s, he worked with Iswaran to bring Formula One’s first night race to Singapore.
He has recently been undergoing chemotherapy and was granted permission to travel overseas for medical treatment in April. He stepped down from his position at Hotel Properties that same month, with the company stating that he intended to focus on his health.
Ong and his wife Christina were featured on Forbes’ 2024 billionaire list with an estimated combined net worth of US$1.7 billion. They were not included in this year’s rankings.
