Ong Beng Seng retains PR status, gets ICA warning letter after conviction for abetting in obstruction of justice

SINGAPORE: Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng has been allowed to retain his Singapore permanent residency, months after he was found guilty of abetting in the obstruction of justice.

"The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has reviewed the permanent resident status of Ong Beng Seng, and will not revoke his PR status," the agency said on Monday (Nov 10).

"Instead, he has been issued a letter of warning to put him on notice that any future adverse conduct will render him liable for revocation of his PR status."

Mr Ong, a Malaysian billionaire, was fined S$30,000 (US$23,000) in August. He pleaded guilty to intentionally aiding former Transport Minister S Iswaran to pay S$5,700 to Singapore GP for a business class flight ticket from Doha to Singapore.

This payment was made in 2023, months after the flight, and only after the anti-corruption agency discovered Mr Iswaran's name on the manifest for an outbound flight to Doha when investigating a separate case.

Mr Ong is the man behind Singapore GP, which brought the Formula 1 Grand Prix to Singapore in 2008.

A second charge for instigating Mr Iswaran to obtain flights and a hotel stay from him, when Mr Ong had business dealings linked with Mr Iswaran's official functions, was considered in sentencing.

On account of Mr Ong’s poor health, the judge agreed with the prosecution and defence that judicial mercy was justified and imposed the maximum fine a district court can give, instead of three months' jail.

ICA had said, following Mr Ong's conviction, that his PR status was under review.

In response to CNA's queries, ICA said on Wednesday that it takes into account various factors, including the nature and severity of the offence, the person's family roots in Singapore, as well as his contributions to Singapore.

"We do not comment on our assessment of individual cases as a matter of policy," ICA said, when asked about the decision to retain Mr Ong's PR status.

In September, MP Dennis Tan (WP-Hougang) asked Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam in a parliamentary question about the circumstances in which individuals would have their permanent residency or work pass revoked should they commit an offence in Singapore.

Mr Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, said in a written reply that foreigners, including PRs and work pass holders, who break Singapore’s laws or engage in undesirable conduct may have their passes or permits cancelled and be prohibited from re-entry into the country.

“There is a framework to assess such cases, based on the facts, the nature and severity of the incident, the person's family roots here, and the contributions of the person to Singapore,” he said.