(Bloomberg) -- Singapore’s former transport minister S. Iswaran, who is facing corruption charges, was hospitalized for respiratory illness in Melbourne and was subsequently discharged on March 5, the Straits Times reported, without citing where it got the information. 

Iswaran was admitted to the private hospital Cabrini Malvern, according to the newspaper. The ex-minister currently has until March 19 to return from Australia, having received permission to extend the trip due to health reasons. He had got approval to leave Singapore to assist his son with his university transition.

Iswaran, who helped bring Formula 1 racing to Singapore and represented the city-state at the World Economic Forum, is at the center of Singapore’s biggest political scandal in decades: he faces 27 charges, including allegedly obtaining tickets to musicals and soccer matches in the UK. Out on bail, he has denied the charges and pledged to defend his innocence in court. 

Read: Ex-Singapore Minister in Corruption Case Gets Travel Extension

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