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(Bloomberg) – The chairman of Singapore’s award-winning Changi Airport, Liew Mun Leong, is facing mounting criticism on social media after a court overturned a conviction against a domestic worker who had been accused of robbing her home.
Last week, the Singapore High Court acquitted Parti Liyani, an Indonesian maid, and Judge Chan Seng Onn said the Liew family had an “improper reason” for charging the aide with stealing items such as watches and clothing worth 34,000 Singapore dollars (US $ 24,810). The court also found the testimony of Karl Liew, Liew Mun Leong’s son, questionable, according to ChannelNews Asia.
The judge noted that there was reason to believe that the wealthy family filed a police report against their former maid to prevent her from filing a complaint with the Ministry of Manpower about her work arrangements, which included being illegally deployed to clean the house and the Liew’s son’s office in addition to Liew’s house.
When contacted, Liew said that since the High Court has rendered its ruling on the case, it must respect it and will not comment further.
The scandal has sparked a fierce reaction in the city-state, including angry comments on the airport’s Facebook page asking him to resign. It has also raised questions about how the system treated one of the city-state’s most prominent employers compared to a low-paid migrant worker who worked for them.
In addition to being Chairman of Changi Airport Group, Liew is also Chairman of urban consulting firm Surbana Jurong Pte. And was the founding CEO of real estate giant Capitaland Ltd. He also served on the board of Singapore Exchange Ltd. and is a senior international business advisor. of state investment firm Temasek Holdings Pte., among many senior leadership positions.
“Something went wrong somewhere in the chain of events,” Minister of Internal Affairs and Law K Shanmugam said in a post on his Facebook page. “We have to review, deal with it. At this point, we should not prejudge or speculate as to what part of the process may have gone wrong. That is why reviews are underway. “
Singapore’s Attorney General’s Office is reviewing the case and the judge’s comments to see if further action should be taken. The Ministry of Human Resources and the police are also reviewing how the case was handled.
Shanmugam said the process should be fair, but not a “witch hunt,” adding that agencies will review what happened, why it happened, and “then we will have to be accountable for the steps we will take” to continue. to maintain confidence in the system.
The chief executive of Temasek’s investment division, Dilhan Pillay, said Tuesday during the company’s annual review that Liew is among the many who have contributed to Singapore over the years.
“There are many people who have contributed to both the public service and the private sector in Singapore, for the benefit of Singapore and our population at large. Liew Mun Leong is one of those people, ”Pillay said, responding to a question about the incident.
“The court case has just finished a phase, there are ongoing proceedings and I don’t think it is appropriate for me to comment on that. What I can say is that we should listen to Mr. Liew on his side of the problem and not pass a quick judgment until we have heard all sides of things. “
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