When Telugu Desam Party led by former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu was in power in Andhra Pradesh between 2014 and 2019, there was one VIP from Singapore, who used to frequently come to the state.
He was S Iswaran, transport minister of Singapore, who played a crucial role in getting the multi-crore contracts for drafting Amaravati master plan and development of core capital area to Singapore consortium.
Iswaran used to get royal treatment in Andhra Pradesh – whether it was at Partnership Summits, Amaravati meetings and many other events.
He used to give lengthy lecturers on discipline and glory of Singapore. Of course, he was praising Naidu for his “vision” at every meeting.
The last time one has heard about Iswaran was when he wrote a letter to the Jagan Mohan Reddy government in 2019, cancelling the Amaravati development agreement.
He wished that Singapore would continue to be partner to AP’s development, but Jagan kept him at bay.
Now this gentleman is back in the news, not in Amaravati, but in Singapore itself.
On Wednesday, the local media reported that Iswaran was arrested in connection with a rare top-level corruption investigation that has also ensnared a billionaire hotel tycoon.
Iswaran was “subsequently released on bail”, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said, adding that Hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng, one of Singapore’s richest people, was also arrested on the same day and released on bail in connection with the probe.
Iswaran had been ordered to go on leave earlier in the week by the prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, after the CPIB said the minister was “currently assisting” an ongoing investigation.
Lee said the anti-graft body had sought his approval for a formal investigation that would involve interviewing Iswaran, among other people.