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SINGAPORE – Authorities take the judge’s comments on the case of former domestic worker Parti Liyani, who was acquitted of robbing Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family very seriously and will deal with what came out wrong in the process of investigations. said the Minister of Home Affairs and Law, K. Shanmugam, on Tuesday (September 8).
However, the minister cautioned against prejudging which part of the process went wrong and said the public should await the outcome of the reviews now being carried out by the authorities.
Commenting on the reviews, Shanmugam said: “In the process, we shouldn’t be defensive. It shouldn’t be a witch hunt. It has to be a fair process. We have to find out what happened, why it happened and then deal with it. And being responsible. That’s the best way to build trust in the public, in the system. Go out in public and say what steps we’ve taken once the reviews have been done. “
Mr. Shanmugam, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a grassroots event, was asked for his comments on the case, prompting a public outcry.
It also led to some questioning whether the class and status differences between the domestic worker and Mr. Liew and his family had contributed to the injustice in the court process.
When asked about this, Mr. Shanmugam said that it is good that justice is served, according to the High Court ruling. However, he emphasized that the justice system is impartial for all and fair, and the status and position of the parties involved does not matter.
“(Ms. Parti) was indicted in a criminal case based on a complaint from the businessman. The judge’s trial analyzes the facts very carefully. It establishes what is the break in the chain of evidence and in that way, it is good to see that justice is blind and that justice has been done. “
He also commended Ms. Parti’s attorney, Mr. Anil Balchandani, who acted pro bono.
Although he has not read Mr. Balchandani’s communications, he was told that Mr. Balchandani had detected several inconsistencies in the evidence and why his client should not be convicted.
“He did a good, thorough job. That’s the job of a lawyer. Be thorough, be clear, present everything fairly to the court. Based on what I’ve heard, I think he should be commended. He did a good job.”
On Sunday, the Attorney General’s Office, police and the Labor Ministry said they are investigating the case.
Parti, 46, who worked for the Liew family from 2007 to 2016, was charged with stealing items worth more than $ 34,000. After a trial in state courts, she was found guilty of four counts of robbery and sentenced to two years and two months in jail in March of last year.
She appealed to the Superior Court against her conviction and sentence, and was acquitted last Friday.
Judge Chan Seng Onn, in his 100-page sentence on the case, considered the sentence of the trial judge against her unsafe.
He cited the handling of evidence by the police, the search of the allegedly stolen objects and the undue motive for the complaints of some relatives.
Police said Sunday they would be investigating various observations about police investigations conducted by Judge Chan.
Although the police did not elaborate on what these observations were, the judge determined that there was a break in the chain of custody of the evidence. This raised reasonable doubt as to whether some of the allegedly stolen items discovered by the family were accurately documented by photographs taken by the police some five weeks later.
During this period, the police also told the family that they were free to use the items. They picked up and put the items back in the boxes, but it was unclear if the items that were put back were the same as those removed earlier.
Judge Chan also found that two statements were taken from Ms. Parti without an interpreter.
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