Parti Liyani's case: Attorney-General Lucien Wong not involved in prosecution; review led by Hri Kumar, says AGC

SINGAPORE: Attorney-General Lucien Wong and the deputy attorneys-general were not involved in any prosecutorial decisions regarding the charges against Ms Parti Liyani, said the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) on Wednesday (Sep 9).

The Indonesian maid was recently acquitted of stealing from her former employer, Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong. 

"This case was among those routinely handled by AGC which did not require the involvement of the AG or the DAGs," AGC said in a statement.

It added that the review of the case is being led by Deputy Attorney-General Hri Kumar Nair.

"AG Lucien Wong, for personal reasons, had already recused himself from the review of this case on Sep 5, soon after the High Court judgment was released," said AGC. 

It did not elaborate on the reasons.

READ: Parti Liyani, former maid of CAG chairman, cleared of last remaining charge

READ: Timeline: How former maid Parti Liyani was acquitted of stealing from Changi Airport Group chairman's family

AGC noted that several years before he was appointed Attorney-General, Mr Wong sat on the board of CapitaLand Limited while Mr Liew was president and CEO of the company.

Mr Wong stepped down from the board in January 2006.

"AG Lucien Wong and Mr Liew did not have a personal relationship, and this continues today," the AGC said.

READ: Yearly average of 16 employers fined over last three years for illegally deploying their maids: MOM

Ms Parti was sentenced in March 2019 to two years and two months' jail after District Judge Olivia Low convicted her of four counts of theft. The 46-year-old had been charged with stealing about S$34,000 worth of items from Mr Liew and his family.

On Sep 4, Justice Chan Seng Onn overturned the convictions in the High Court and acquitted Ms Parti of the charges, saying that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

AGC had said on Sunday that it is studying the High Court judgment "to assess what further action, if any, ought to be taken in this case". It said Justice Chan's findings raised "questions which warrant further investigation".

On Tuesday, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam urged people not to "prejudge" the review.

READ: Parti Liyani case: Shanmugam says 'something has gone wrong' in chain of events, urges people not to 'prejudge' review

"In the process, we should not be defensive. It should not be a witch hunt," Mr Shanmugam said. 

"We have to find out what happened, why it happened and then deal with it. And be accountable. That’s the best way to build trust in public, in the system. To come out in public and say what steps we have taken once the reviews are done."