Former Singapore minister jailed for year for receiving illegal gifts

Former minister S Iswaran, centre, and his lawyer arrive at the High Court in Singapore for an earlier hearing (AP)

A former Singaporean Cabinet minister was sentenced on Thursday to a year in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of receiving illegal gifts, in a rare criminal case involving a minister in the Asian financial hub.

Former transport minister S Iswaran had pleaded guilty last week to one count of obstructing justice and four of accepting gifts from people with whom he had official business.