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The Parti Liyani case, which involves former Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong’s former domestic worker, has generated much attention and concern among Singaporeans, and it is understandable, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday, in his early public comment on the matter.
He also said that if deficiencies are found in Singapore’s criminal justice system, they should be corrected.
“Building a democratic society based on justice and equality is a fundamental objective of our nation. To achieve it, we need a proper and fair application of our laws,” he added in a Facebook post.
“We will continually strive to protect and improve our justice system so that people can be sure that it is clean, fair and works equally for everyone.”
Prime Minister Lee’s comments came after the matter was debated in Parliament last Wednesday in a marathon nine-hour session.
The House heard the Minister of Home Affairs and Law, K. Shanmugam, who delivered a ministerial statement on Ms Parti’s case, and also debated a motion tabled by the President of the Workers’ Party, Sylvia Lim, on the improvement of the criminal justice system.
At the session, Prime Minister Lee said that the ministerial statement had comprehensively presented the facts of the case, adding: “Both sides of the House agreed that it had been treated as a routine case by the police and the AGC (Attorney General’s Office). , and that neither party attempted to influence its outcome. “
Ms. Parti was charged with theft in 2016 by her then employer, Mr. Liew, and was convicted by state courts last year.
She was acquitted this year by the High Court on appeal, prompting a public outcry from some who asked why she was charged in the first place and whether Mr. Liew had exercised any undue influence in the case.
Mr. Liew is a prominent businessman who also served on the boards of directors of government-linked entities such as the infrastructure consultancy Surbana Jurong and the Temasek Foundation.
He resigned from these positions after public outcry.
Mr. Shanmugam revealed in Parliament that internal reviews by the police and the AGC had found loopholes in the way they handled the case, but also confirmed that there was no undue influence at any time.
He said there were no signs that Mr. Liew or any member of his family had pressured or exerted pressure on the police, the assistant prosecutors or the trial judge over the case.
In fact, it was the investigator and his immediate supervisor, and the assistant prosecutors and their directors who handled the case, as is typical in these cases, he added.
Mr Shanmugam reiterated this yesterday in a Facebook post shared by Prime Minister Lee: “The facts show that the police and AGC had strong grounds to charge her and no one tried to exert any influence.”
In the post, Shanmugam also linked video clips of key points from his speech, including his criticisms of the “arrogant attitude” of the Liews, particularly Liew’s son Karl, who has since been charged with perjury in court and to provide false information. to the police.
He added in the post that the High Court’s decision to overturn Ms. Parti’s conviction is final.
“This case illustrates how the rule of law applies in Singapore,” he said.
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