CPIB says fewer graft cases reported in 2023, Iswaran and Ridout Road bungalows among them

The number of graft-related reports dipped in 2023, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CIPB) said on Tuesday (April 30) when it released its annual statistics.

It received 215 corruption-related reports in 2023 — down by eight per cent from 234 reported in 2022, and 249 in 2021.

Of  these, CPIB registered 81 reports as new cases for investigation in 2023. In 2022, 83 new cases were registered.

A report is registered for investigation "if the information received is pursuable", CPIB said.

One of the cases involved former transport minister S Iswaran. The 61-year-old is facing a total of 35 charges, including obtaining valuable things as a public servant.

In another high-profile case, CPIB's investigations — which started after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave instructions — found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing or preferential treatment given to Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, both of whom rented black-and-white bungalows at Ridout Road.

CPIB said that the probe, which involved two incumbent Cabinet ministers, was "testament to the strong commitment to uphold a system of governance with a high standard of integrity and accountability".

Corruption situation 'remains firmly under control'

Of the 81 cases registered for investigation in 2023, 70 were from the private sector. And of the 70 cases, nine involved public sector employees rejecting bribes offered by private sector individuals. 

In total, 111 people — six were from the public sector​​​​​​ — were prosecuted in court in 2023 for offences investigated by the anti-graft agency.

One of the public-sector individuals prosecuted was Gilbert Oh Hin Kwan, a director-general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),.

The 45-year-old pleaded guilty in court on April 26 to giving false information to a public servant over the misuse of the diplomatic bag service, reported The Straits Times.

The corruption situation in Singapore "remains firmly under control", CPIB said.

"CPIB remains strongly committed to work closely together with all segments of the community to keep Singapore corruption-free and ensure that the important value of incorruptibility continues to be instilled into the young and future generations of Singaporeans."

In January 2024, Transparency International ranked Singapore as the fifth least corrupt country in the world in its 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index.

ALSO READ: Corruption probe into Iswaran has had 'big impact' on West Coast GRC, says Desmond Lee

chingshijie@asiaone.com