Opinion
Iswaran unlikely to serve full 12-month sentence under conditional remission and possibly home detention
Former Transport Minister S Iswaran is unlikely to serve the full 12 months of his sentence. Under Singapore’s Conditional Remission System, he could leave prison after serving less than eight months, with the remainder of his sentence served under strict supervision, including home detention. While Iswaran is scheduled to surrender on 7 October 2024, there is a possibility of an appeal.
Former Transport Minister Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months in prison on 3 October 2024 for accepting valuable gifts while in public office and obstructing the course of justice.
The court granted Iswaran’s request to surrender himself at 4 p.m. on 7 October 2024 to begin his sentence. However, his lead lawyer, Davinder Singh, indicated that the start of the sentence could be delayed depending on “instructions,” hinting at the possibility of an appeal.
However, despite the 12-month sentence, it is highly likely that Iswaran will serve less time in prison due to Singapore’s Conditional Remission System (CRS) and potentially the Home Detention Scheme (HDS).
Under the CRS, prisoners in Singapore may be released early if they demonstrate good behaviour.
Typically, under the CRS, inmates are eligible for release after serving two-thirds of their sentence. In Iswaran’s case, this means he could be released after serving eight months in prison, with the remaining four months of his sentence subject to a Conditional Remission Order (CRO).
The CRO, a legal mechanism that enforces strict conditions post-release, requires compliance with several terms, such as reporting to authorities and avoiding any criminal activity. If Iswaran violates these conditions, he could face penalties, including being sent back to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Alongside CRS, there is also the possibility that Iswaran could serve part of his sentence under the Home Detention Scheme (HDS), which allows prisoners to serve their final months under strict supervision at home.
Take the case of former Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Chief Peter Lim Sin Pang, for example.
Lim was sentenced to six months in prison in 2013 for corruption.
After serving three months in Changi Prison, he was supposedly placed on home detention for one month — if we consider how CRO grants him two months of remission — allowing him to complete his sentence under supervision.
Home detention meant that Lim would spend his remaining sentence at home under electronic monitoring, fitted with an electronic monitoring device, typically worn as an ankle bracelet, which allows authorities to track his location at all times.
Like other inmates under the HDS, his movements were tightly controlled, and he was allowed out only for specific activities, such as attending work, medical appointments, or rehabilitation programmes, during limited hours.
Any deviation from the permitted activities or failure to return home on time could lead to immediate consequences, including being returned to prison to complete the sentence.
Eligibility for home detention depends on various factors, such as the inmate’s behaviour during incarceration and the level of risk they pose to society.
This scheme aims to reintegrate prisoners into society while maintaining strict oversight.
If HDS is applicable, Iswaran might spend even less time behind bars, as he could transition to home detention before completing the full period under the CRS.
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