Singapore's Indian-origin former transport minister S&nbsp;Iswaran&nbsp;on Monday began his one-year&nbsp;jail term&nbsp;in a&nbsp;corruption&nbsp;case, opting not to appeal his conviction, and apologised "unreservedly" to the nation.

Iswaran, 62, was handed the jail sentence on Thursday last week for obtaining illegal gifts worth about $313,200 over seven years from two businessmen, and for obstruction of justice.

Another 30 charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

In a statement on Facebook earlier in the day, the&nbsp;former minister&nbsp;said he "will not be appealing the sentence handed down by the court".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/former-singapore-minister-iswaran-sentenced-to-a-year-in-prison-in-rare-corruption-case-764211">Watch |&nbsp;Former Singapore Minister Iswaran Sentenced To A Year In Prison In Rare Corruption Case</a>

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The veteran politician had pleaded guilty on September 24.

"It was important to me that the public prosecutor amended the charges against me under the&nbsp;Prevention of Corruption Act&nbsp;to those under Section 165 of the&nbsp;Penal Code&nbsp;regarding the acceptance of gifts by public servants. I accept that, as a minister what I did was wrong under Section 165. I accept full responsibility for my actions and apologise unreservedly to all Singaporeans," Iswaran said.

Section 165 relates to a&nbsp;public servant&nbsp;obtaining valuable items from someone who could be connected in proceedings or business linked to him or his official functions.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indian-origin-singapore-ex-minister-s-iswaran-sentenced-to-12-months-in-jail-in-graft-case-764028">Also read |&nbsp;Indian-origin Singapore ex-minister S Iswaran sentenced to 12 months in jail in graft case</a>

"My family's well-being and the emotional toll on my loved ones of a long trial extending well into 2025, and possibly beyond, has also weighed heavily on me. The past 15 months have already been the most difficult. With this decision, I hope we can put the pain and anguish behind us, move forward and rebuild our lives together," Iswaran added.

The jail sentence meted out to Iswaran was longer than the prosecution had requested. His lead lawyer, Davinder Singh, had argued for no more than eight weeks' jail, while Deputy Attorney-General&nbsp;Tai Wei Shyong&nbsp;pushed for a jail term of six to seven months.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience. 
&nbsp;

Singapore's Indian-origin former transport minister S Iswaran on Monday began his one-year jail term in a corruption case, opting not to appeal his conviction, and apologised "unreservedly" to the nation.

Singapore's Indian-origin former transport minister S Iswaran on Monday began his one-year jail term in a corruption case, opting not to appeal his conviction, and apologised "unreservedly" to the nation. Iswaran, 62, was handed the jail sentence on Thursday last week for obtaining illegal gifts worth about $313,200 over seven years from two businessmen, and for obstruction of justice. Another 30 charges were taken into consideration during sentencing. In a statement on Facebook earlier in the day, the former minister said he "will not be appealing the sentence handed down by the court". Watch | Former Singapore Minister Iswaran Sentenced To A Year In Prison In Rare Corruption Case × The veteran politician had pleaded guilty on September 24. "It was important to me that the public prosecutor amended the charges against me under the Prevention of Corruption Act to those under Section 165 of the Penal Code regarding the acceptance of gifts by public servants. I accept that, as a minister what I did was wrong under Section 165. I accept full responsibility for my actions and apologise unreservedly to all Singaporeans," Iswaran said. Section 165 relates to a public servant obtaining valuable items from someone who could be connected in proceedings or business linked to him or his official functions. Also read | Indian-origin Singapore ex-minister S Iswaran sentenced to 12 months in jail in graft case "My family's well-being and the emotional toll on my loved ones of a long trial extending well into 2025, and possibly beyond, has also weighed heavily on me. The past 15 months have already been the most difficult. With this decision, I hope we can put the pain and anguish behind us, move forward and rebuild our lives together," Iswaran added. The jail sentence meted out to Iswaran was longer than the prosecution had requested. His lead lawyer, Davinder Singh, had argued for no more than eight weeks' jail, while Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong pushed for a jail term of six to seven months. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Indian-origin Singapore ex-minister S Iswaran begins 1-year jail sentence, apologises to family and country

The hacker responsible for exposing Manchester City of fudging the Premier League Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, way back in 2018, has now threatened to release more evidence against the UAE-owned club.

The hacker responsible for exposing Manchester City of fudging the Premier League Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, way back in 2018, has now threatened to release more evidence against the UAE-owned club. The hacker named, Rui Pinto, founder of the website 'Football Leaks' has alleged that he provided authorities in Germany and France with 'millions' of damning documents that will show City's 'criminal relevancy'. "The Man City releases showed amounts of money being paid into by the club that were not mentioned to the football authorities. These documents are from part of the Premier League investigation into City," Pinto told the OffShore-Alert Marbella Conference via video link. "I have now handed five hard drives to French and German authorities with millions of documents, including more on City and I have described what is on each. I am confident they will find criminal relevancy," he added. Pinto has been under a witness protection programme since 2020 after being handed a four-year suspended sentence by a court in Portugal last year. He avoided prison, despite being found guilty of illegal access to data and attempted extortion. Pinto's legal counsel said they hadn't made the information public yet and refrained from providing a timeline on the said expose. "We have been approached by investigators to share information regarding Manchester City that has not been released before. We haven’t released the information yet but we have a massive file of Manchester City-related documents that has yet to be released. The files will be published at some point, we cannot say when but we will do it." The Portuguese whistleblower had previously leaked plans between clubs to attempt to form the European Super League - a rival to the current UEFA Champions League, along with details of salaries of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Pinto's actions led UEFA to ban City from European competitions for two years but the decision was overturned as the club owned by the vice president of UAE, used its legion of attorneys to get the decision in its favour. Also read | Civil war in Premier League? Another club to launch legal action, following Man City's footsteps What are the 115 charges against Man City? The Manchester-based club is facing 115 charges related to the breach of Premier League regulations. The club is accused of providing inaccurate financial information between 2009 to 2018. It also failed to provide accurate details for player and manager payments from 2009 to 2018. Additionally, it failed to comply with UEFA's ruling, including Financial Fair Play (FFP) between 2013-14 and 2017-18. Between 2015 to 2018, the club has been charged with seven breaches of Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). While the likes of Everton and Nottingham Forest have been punished this season for breaching PSR, City are yet to face any action. (With inputs from agencies)

Hacker in witness protection threatens to release emails proving Man City's corruption regarding FFP breaches

EMI facility - equitated monthly instalments - is provided by banks for repayment of loans through which the borrower can repay the loan in small instalments rather than paying a hefty amount up front.&nbsp;

Taking inspiration from this model, corrupt officers in India's western Gujarat are taking bribes in instalments. As strange as it may sound, several such incidents were been reported by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).&nbsp;

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The corrupt officials encounter people who are poor and not in the position to pay a hefty bribe in one go. Now they have devised a scheme to make the most out of such situations by asking the victims to pay the total amount over time, The Times of India said in a report.&nbsp;

The ACB receives such cases when a person reports after having paid initial amounts to the officers. The officials at ACB said that such kinds of cases are on the rise and they have encountered ten such cases already this year.&nbsp;

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"A person unable to afford to buy a house, car or a valuable by making full payments avail a loan on EMIs. Corrupt officials are applying the same practice to bribes now," ToI quoted a senior officer at the ACB as saying.&nbsp;

From village sarpanch to crime inspectors, no one is missing out on this innovative way to fill their pockets with bribes.&nbsp;

In a village in Surat, a deputy sarpanch and taluka panchayat member asked a villager to pay Rs 85,000 as a bribe to get his farm levelled. Ironically enough, the sarpanch was very 'considerate' and put forward an EMI option for the villager in which he could pay Rs 35,000 as a lump sum and the rest of the amount in instalments, the report said.&nbsp;

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-water-crisis-sc-directs-hp-to-release-137-cusecs-surplus-water-729293">&nbsp;Delhi water crisis: SC directs HP to release 137 cusecs surplus water</a>

The 'empathy' of these officials towards the people who fall prey to this scheme can be seen at higher levels as well.

On&nbsp; 26 April 2024, a crime inspector demanded Rs 50,000 as a bribe in instalments of Rs 10,000 each along with other electronic devices that were seized during the investigation.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

EMI facility - equitated monthly instalments - is provided by banks for repayment of loans through which the borrower can repay the loan in small instalments rather than paying a hefty amount up front.

EMI facility - equitated monthly instalments - is provided by banks for repayment of loans through which the borrower can repay the loan in small instalments rather than paying a hefty amount up front. Taking inspiration from this model, corrupt officers in India's western Gujarat are taking bribes in instalments. As strange as it may sound, several such incidents were been reported by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Also read | US Senate fails to clear universal contraceptive access bill after Republicans block it The corrupt officials encounter people who are poor and not in the position to pay a hefty bribe in one go. Now they have devised a scheme to make the most out of such situations by asking the victims to pay the total amount over time, The Times of India said in a report. The ACB receives such cases when a person reports after having paid initial amounts to the officers. The officials at ACB said that such kinds of cases are on the rise and they have encountered ten such cases already this year. Watch | Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu in New Delhi as NDA leaders meet to discuss government formation "A person unable to afford to buy a house, car or a valuable by making full payments avail a loan on EMIs. Corrupt officials are applying the same practice to bribes now," ToI quoted a senior officer at the ACB as saying. From village sarpanch to crime inspectors, no one is missing out on this innovative way to fill their pockets with bribes. In a village in Surat, a deputy sarpanch and taluka panchayat member asked a villager to pay Rs 85,000 as a bribe to get his farm levelled. Ironically enough, the sarpanch was very 'considerate' and put forward an EMI option for the villager in which he could pay Rs 35,000 as a lump sum and the rest of the amount in instalments, the report said. Also read | Delhi water crisis: SC directs HP to release 137 cusecs surplus water The 'empathy' of these officials towards the people who fall prey to this scheme can be seen at higher levels as well. On 26 April 2024, a crime inspector demanded Rs 50,000 as a bribe in instalments of Rs 10,000 each along with other electronic devices that were seized during the investigation. (With inputs from agencies)

Graft by EMI: Corrupt officers in India are accepting bribes in instalments, says report

Global peace has been deteriorating for 15 years. Corruption has been a key cause of this and it undermines governments' ability to protect people. It erodes public trust and makes it harder to control security threats.

In Pics | Top 10 corrupt countries in the world

The United States has added dozens of Central American big-wigs to a list of "corrupt and undemocratic" individuals. The names of those, that the US government considers amoral include current and former officials, lawmakers, and business tycoons. Reuters reports that these people have been made a part of the Engel list. El Salvadorians, Hondurans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans who Washington charges with wrongdoing are included on the so-called Engel List, which was established under a statute that Eliot Engel, a then-US Representative, sponsored.&nbsp;The State Department publishes the list every year. Those on the list will have their US visas cancelled and won't be allowed to enter the country.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Putin scores a big win against America

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For their suspected involvement in the detention and prosecution of opposition activists, the State Department this year listed 23 judges and prosecutors who it claimed&nbsp;"undermined democratic processes."

In a statement US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "These individuals, through their significant corruption, efforts to obstruct investigations into corruption, and undermining of democratic processes and institutions, weaken the ability of governments in the region to respond to the needs of their citizens, contributing to irregular migration and destabilizing societies".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-joe-biden-plans-to-speak-with-his-chinese-counterpart-xi-jinping-499312" hreflang="en">US President Joe Biden plans to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping</a>

Nicaraguans were included to the list for the first time. This comes after Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, won a fourth term in November after imprisoning his opponents and cracking down on critical media.&nbsp;

Joe Biden had labelled the election a fraud and placed penalties on Nicaraguan leaders.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-announces-initiatives-to-tackle-climate-change-promises-for-more-plans-499321" hreflang="en">Joe Biden announces initiatives to tackle climate change, promises&nbsp;more plans</a>

US authorities believe that one of the solutions to addressing the underlying reasons for the record-breaking illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border, which presents a political and humanitarian challenge for President Joe Biden, is to combat corruption in Central America. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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The United States has added dozens of Central American big-wigs to a list of "corrupt and undemocratic" individuals. The names of those, that the US government considers amoral include current and former officials, lawmakers, and business tycoons.

The United States has added dozens of Central American big-wigs to a list of "corrupt and undemocratic" individuals. The names of those, that the US government considers amoral include current and former officials, lawmakers, and business tycoons. Reuters reports that these people have been made a part of the Engel list. El Salvadorians, Hondurans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans who Washington charges with wrongdoing are included on the so-called Engel List, which was established under a statute that Eliot Engel, a then-US Representative, sponsored. The State Department publishes the list every year. Those on the list will have their US visas cancelled and won't be allowed to enter the country. Watch | Gravitas: Putin scores a big win against America For their suspected involvement in the detention and prosecution of opposition activists, the State Department this year listed 23 judges and prosecutors who it claimed "undermined democratic processes." In a statement US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "These individuals, through their significant corruption, efforts to obstruct investigations into corruption, and undermining of democratic processes and institutions, weaken the ability of governments in the region to respond to the needs of their citizens, contributing to irregular migration and destabilizing societies". Also read | US President Joe Biden plans to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping Nicaraguans were included to the list for the first time. This comes after Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, won a fourth term in November after imprisoning his opponents and cracking down on critical media. Joe Biden had labelled the election a fraud and placed penalties on Nicaraguan leaders. Also read | Joe Biden announces initiatives to tackle climate change, promises more plans US authorities believe that one of the solutions to addressing the underlying reasons for the record-breaking illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border, which presents a political and humanitarian challenge for President Joe Biden, is to combat corruption in Central America. (With inputs from agencies) Watch WION LIVE HERE: You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Judges, lawmakers and more, US adds dozens of Central American big-wigs to a list of 'corrupt' people

A recent opinion survey in Pakistan revealed that over 45 per cent of people completely disagree with Prime Minister Imran Khan's self-proclaimed concept of corruption-free governance. As per a report in a local newspaper, nearly 62 per cent of the people believe that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s defeat in provincial elections could be attributed to the wrong distribution of tickets.

The report further states that a similar outlook was revealed in another opinion poll, which was conducted by the Pulse Consultants.&nbsp;

This opinion poll included 2000 people.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/beijing-olympics-2022-pakistani-prime-minister-imran-khan-meets-chinese-president-xi-jinping-450959">Also read |&nbsp;Beijing Olympics 2022: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan meets Chinese President Xi Jinping</a>

The revelations come as a contradiction to the tall claims made by Imran Khan party's spokespersons who deem his as a new corruption-free brand.

The Pakistan Prime Minister is currently in Beijing for the Winter Olympics 2022. On the sidelines of the main event, he met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of People in Beijing.&nbsp;

During the meeting, Xi stressed that "the Chinese side firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and dignity, as well as in combating terrorism", according to state media.

He added that China is willing to work with Pakistan in "aligning development strategies". This was the first meeting of the two leaders since Khan’s visit to China in October 2019.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A recent opinion survey in Pakistan revealed that over 45 per cent of people completely disagree with Prime Minister Imran Khan's self-proclaimed concept of corruption-free governance.

A recent opinion survey in Pakistan revealed that over 45 per cent of people completely disagree with Prime Minister Imran Khan's self-proclaimed concept of corruption-free governance. As per a report in a local newspaper, nearly 62 per cent of the people believe that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s defeat in provincial elections could be attributed to the wrong distribution of tickets. The report further states that a similar outlook was revealed in another opinion poll, which was conducted by the Pulse Consultants. This opinion poll included 2000 people. Also read | Beijing Olympics 2022: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan meets Chinese President Xi Jinping The revelations come as a contradiction to the tall claims made by Imran Khan party's spokespersons who deem his as a new corruption-free brand. The Pakistan Prime Minister is currently in Beijing for the Winter Olympics 2022. On the sidelines of the main event, he met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of People in Beijing. During the meeting, Xi stressed that "the Chinese side firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and dignity, as well as in combating terrorism", according to state media. He added that China is willing to work with Pakistan in "aligning development strategies". This was the first meeting of the two leaders since Khan’s visit to China in October 2019. (With inputs from agencies)

Over 45% people reject Imran Khan’s claims of corruption-free governance: Poll

UK is not corrupt, PM Johnson says as parliament engulfed in sleaze row. Boris Johnson has told the world’s media that Britain is not a corrupt country despite the controversy over Conservative MPs’ paid lobbying and other second jobs.

Is United Kingdom, a corrupt nation?

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