Former Singaporean minister pleads guilty to receiving illegal gifts

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A former Singaporean cabinet minister has pleaded guilty to charges of receiving illegal gifts, in the Asian financial hub’s first ministerial criminal trial in nearly half a century. Former Transport Minister S. Iswaran pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of obstructing justice and four of accepting gifts from people with whom he had official business. The gifts, such as tickets to Singapore’s Formula 1 race, wine and whisky, and a luxury Brompton bike, were given to him by two businessmen who had dealings with the government, and were worth over 74,000 Singapore dollars. The court set Oct. 3 for sentencing.