A former long-time Cabinet minister in the Singaporean government was sentenced to 12 months in prison for accepting about $300,000 in gifts and obstructing an investigation into his windfall, NBC News reports. In case you’re keeping track, that’s about one-sixteenth the value of gifts Clarence Thomas has allegedly received in the last decade alone.
S. Iswaran, who had served in Cabinet-level positions covering trade, communications and transportation over a 13-year career, pleaded guilty last week to four counts of improperly receiving gifts and one of obstructing justice.
According to court schedules, property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, Singapore’s Harlon Crow, will be arraigned on Friday for giving Iswaran tickets to English Premier League soccer matches, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, London musicals and a ride on a private jet.