https://www.scmp.com/rss/522655/feed The latest news and top stories on Ong Beng Seng, a Singaporean business tycoon. Known for bringing the Formula One Grand Prix, the sport's first night race, to Singapore in 2008, he founded Hotel Properties Limited in 1980. He recently stepped down as managing director of HPL due to health concerns, though he remains its controlling shareholder. His extensive business interests span global hospitality, property and retail. Ong recently pleaded guilty to charges linked to a corruption probe... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com CNA CNA The founder of failed oil trading firm Hin Leong Trading, 84-year-old Lim Oon Kuin, had his jail term cut by four years after a partially successful appeal against his conviction and sentence in a criminal case. Singapore’s High Court on Wednesday rejected his appeal against conviction but allowed his appeal against his sentence of 17½ years. Justice Hoo Sheau Peng said this sentence, when considering his age and the fact he was unlikely to reoffend, was crushing, even with remission. She... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345339/singapore-court-reduces-oil-tycoon-ok-lims-prison-sentence-13-1/2-years-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345339/singapore-court-reduces-oil-tycoon-ok-lims-prison-sentence-13-1/2-years-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 03:10:08 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Former actor Ian Fang has been stripped of his Singaporean permanent resident status and will be deported when he finishes serving a 40-month jail term for having sex with a minor. Shanghai-born Fang’s permanent residency was revoked on Thursday, Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) told The Straits Times. Once released from jail, he will be deported and barred from re-entering the country. Last May, the 35-year-old was sentenced to 40 months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3342503/ex-actor-ian-fang-deported-and-barred-singapore-over-underage-sex-offence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3342503/ex-actor-ian-fang-deported-and-barred-singapore-over-underage-sex-offence?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 08:29:44 +0000 The Star The Star For the very rich, a dream car like a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche used to cost 2.5 million ringgit (US$617,240) in Langkawi, a duty-free island in Malaysia’s Kedah state. They will now cost about 5 million ringgit. Industry players say the federal government’s move to abolish tax exemptions for luxury vehicles priced above 300,000 ringgit in Langkawi is expected to hurt the automotive sector and reduce long-term government revenue. Industry veteran Mohamad Azhar Mohd Jamil said the decision... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339981/malaysias-super-rich-get-cold-feet-langkawi-luxury-car-tax-perks-vanish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339981/malaysias-super-rich-get-cold-feet-langkawi-luxury-car-tax-perks-vanish?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 06:21:40 +0000 Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Singapore saw plenty of drama unfold this year, from pickleball courts to the Supreme Court. The city state was gripped by election fever in May, when the People’s Action Party maintained its dominance at the polls. On the trade front, Washington’s imposition of a 10 per cent tariff on Singapore elicited a strong reaction from Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The jury is still out on whether US President Donald Trump would introduce levies on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, which could deliver... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337732/singapore-2025-election-fever-courtroom-drama-pickleball-mania?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337732/singapore-2025-election-fever-courtroom-drama-pickleball-mania?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 03:00:09 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau As Singapore welcomes the return of the Formula One Grand Prix from Friday to Sunday, with road closures downtown and shopping centres brimming with fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite drivers, the high-octane buzz is once again in full swing. Now in its 16th year, F1’s inaugural night race has become one of the city state’s flagship international events. But with each edition costing more than S$100 million (US$78 million), the economic payoff is increasingly being viewed through... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3327699/formula-ones-first-night-race-paying-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3327699/formula-ones-first-night-race-paying-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:49:11 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg A person from billionaire Ong Beng Seng’s inner circle was behind the purchase of a superyacht previously owned by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, according to people familiar with the matter. The 73-metre (240 foot) Capricorn was transferred to a new holding company in late October, according to filings reviewed by Bloomberg, which did not disclose the ultimate beneficial owner. The people did not identify or give further details about the buyer. Earlier that month, the real estate tycoon had... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3326755/singapore-tycoon-ong-beng-sengs-aide-linked-luxury-superyacht-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3326755/singapore-tycoon-ong-beng-sengs-aide-linked-luxury-superyacht-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 02:22:39 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Ong Beng Seng, a Singapore-based billionaire hotelier and architect of the city state’s Formula One Grand Prix, was fined S$30,000 (US$23,400) on Friday over a charge of abetting former transport minister S. Iswaran in a gifts scandal. Ong, a 79-year-old Malaysian national, earlier this month pleaded guilty to the charge of abetting Iswaran in obstructing justice, admitting to relaying sensitive information about an ongoing anti-corruption investigation to the then minister. The case has riveted... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321966/singapores-iswaran-gifts-scandal-ong-beng-seng-avoids-jail-fined-us23400?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321966/singapores-iswaran-gifts-scandal-ong-beng-seng-avoids-jail-fined-us23400?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 06:48:18 +0000