Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has recorded a statement from a complainant in connection with allegations regarding the assets of six members of the current government, local media reported.

According to the report, the complainant was questioned for over three hours on Tuesday (December 30) regarding a complaint seeking an investigation into how the assets of five Cabinet Ministers and one Deputy Minister were acquired.

The complaint was filed by Jamuni Kamanta Thusara, Chairman of the organisation “Citizen Power Against Bribery, Corruption and Waste,” requesting an inquiry into the declared assets of Cabinet Ministers Bimal Rathnayake, Wasantha Samarasinghe, Kumara Jayakody, Sunil Handunnetti and Nalinda Jayatissa, as well as Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala.

Speaking after providing his statement to the Bribery Commission, the complainant said he expects an independent investigation to be conducted and expressed confidence that statements would also be recorded from the ministers concerned.

He added that public confidence should not be undermined by inconsistencies between past statements made by the ministers regarding their assets and the findings of any investigation.

The complainant further stated that the complaint raises questions under the Anti-Corruption Act regarding the manner in which assets were acquired, the accuracy of disclosures made, and whether there is a risk of further unlawful accumulation of wealth.

The Bribery Commission has not issued an official statement on the matter as yet. (Newswire)

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Former Indian cricket captain and senior Congress leader Mohammad Azharuddin has been sworn in as a minister in the Telangana cabinet. Governor Jishnu Dev Verma administered the oath to the former cricketer at Raj Bhavan this morning. His induction fills a long-standing vacancy and provides the Congress government with its first Muslim representation in the cabinet.

The Opposition in Telangana had framed the move as an electoral calculation aimed at the November 11 bypoll in the Jubilee Hills constituency, which has an estimated 30% Muslim electorate.

Objecting to the timing of induction, the BJP had written to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and alleged a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. BJP spokespersons argued that inducting a minister, especially one who had recently sought a ticket from the same seat, amounts to misuse of official power to influence the voters.

The ruling Congress justified the move as the fulfillment of a commitment to social justice. “The Congress party had made a commitment to ensure cabinet representation for minorities. Governments, even in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, always included a minority face. We are simply correcting a long-overdue imbalance,” Telangana Congress chief Mahesh Goud told NDTV.

Azharuddin is not a member of either the legislative assembly or the council yet—which is necessary to become a state minister. He has already been nominated to the legislative council under the Governor’s quota, but the Governor has not yet signed the proposal. He must be inducted as an MLC within the next six months to retain his ministerial post.

Mocking the BJP, Goud said even they had made an election candidate in Rajasthan a minister and that he was eventually defeated by his Congress rival. (NDTV)

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Singapore’s Transport Minister S. Iswaran has resigned after being charged in court for graft, on Thursday (Jan 18), amid a corruption probe that also involves a billionaire hotel tycoon.

The city-state has long prided itself on its squeaky-clean governance and the case has since shocked the nation as it witnesses one of the most high-profile graft cases involving a minister after nearly four decades. 

About the case

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), said Iswaran, who was arrested in July last year faces a total of 27 charges, including corruption, “obtaining gratification as a public servant,” and obstructing the course of justice. 

The city-state’s anti-graft agency has alleged that the minister obtained kickbacks valued at $286,181 (S$384,340.98) from property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, partly to advance the billionaire’s business interests. 

Iswaran, 61, allegedly received gifts worth more than $119,136 in the form of flights, hotel stays and tickets to the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix. 

The charge sheet against the now-former minister also purportedly shows favours like tickets to football matches, West End musicals, and flights on Ong’s private plane. Both Iswaran and Ong were arrested last year. 

Notably, Iswaran was an advisor to the Grand Prix’s steering committee, while Ong owns the rights to the race. It is also said that the property tycoon played a significant role in bringing the F1 race to Singapore in 2008.

The case has shocked the city-state, whose government is rarely affected by graft and scandals. Government officials and civil servants are highly paid to discourage corruption, with many cabinet ministers’ annual salaries being more than $744,602 (S$1 million).

Notably, the last corruption case that Singapore witnessed involving a minister was nearly four decades ago. In 1986, the national development minister was probed for allegedly accepting bribes but died before he could be charged. 

Iswaran resigns

Iswaran, a veteran of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), who has held multiple portfolios over the years, submitted his resignation from the government, parliament and ruling party, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong revealed shortly after Thursday’s hearing.

Iswaran quit on January 16 after being given formal notice of the charges against him. 

The 61-year-old joined Loong’s cabinet as a junior minister in 2006 and became transport minister in May 2021. 

In his resignation letter, Iswaran has pledged to return the money received as part of his salary and allowances since his arrest and rejected the allegations against him. 

“I reject the allegations in the charges and will now focus on clearing my name,” Iswaran wrote in his resignation letter, published on the website of the PM’s office. (WION)

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