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SINGAPORE – Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon has given former domestic worker Parti Liyani two weeks to decide whether she wants to pursue her request to initiate disciplinary proceedings against two state prosecutors who conducted her robbery trial.
The 46-year-old Indonesian had filed the application in June this year, before she was acquitted by the High Court last month, on her appeal, of stealing from the family of prominent businessman Liew Mun Leong.
The Straits Times understands that Ms. Parti filed a notice to suspend the case on Tuesday.
At a chamber hearing on Thursday (October 1), her attorney, Mr. Anil Balchandani, told the Chief Justice that she has been “overwhelmed by the events of the past month.”
In oral arguments released by the court, the Chief Justice said: “I was also struck by the fact that the most important thing on your client’s mind is the fact that he has not been in Indonesia for last four years and you naturally want to be able to return as soon as possible.
“This, Mr. Balchandani explained, is one of the reasons that he had initially considered withdrawing the original subpoena in search of an order from me ordering that the alleged issues against the DPPs in question be referred to a disciplinary tribunal for investigation. “.
However, Ms Parti is “somewhat torn” as she believes that the DPP must respond to the allegations she has raised in her affidavit.
At the hearing, state attorney Kristy Tan of the Attorney General’s Office said that the DPPs in question will not object if the Chief Justice refers the matter to the disciplinary court for investigation, as that would give them an opportunity to present their side. of what happened and to fully explain himself.
In a statement to the media, the AGC said the two legal service officials “appreciate the opportunity to present a full and transparent account of what happened during the trial” and “will cooperate fully in any investigation.”
The high-profile case sparked public outrage, with questions about the evidence-gathering process and how the trial was conducted.
An internal review is underway at the Attorney General’s Office (AGC), while the Minister of Internal Affairs and Law, K. Shanmugam, is expected to make a ministerial statement in Parliament.
Ms. Parti, who worked for the Liews for nine years, was sentenced to 26 months in jail in March of last year after a district judge found her guilty on four counts of stealing $ 34,000 worth of family items.
Represented by Mr. Balchandani, she appealed against her conviction and sentence in a three-day hearing that was held in November of last year and August of this year.
In June, Ms. Parti filed a complaint against Assistant Prosecutors Tan Wee Hao and Tan Yanying.
Mr. Balchandani was appointed to act on their behalf in connection with the complaint in July.
He then submitted an amended version, requesting that the Chief Justice grant him permission to conduct an investigation into the allegation of misconduct against legal service officials.
Ms. Parti’s application was processed ex parte, which means that only the applicant can be heard, unless the court indicates otherwise.
Subsequently, the AGC submitted a request to be heard and to present evidence notes and other documents related to the case.
One of the issues raised by High Court Judge Chan Seng Onn in his ruling concerned an “incomplete” demonstration made by prosecutors on a DVD player during the trial.
Ms. Parti had maintained that the family allowed her to take the player because it was damaged.
During the trial, prosecutors showed Ms. Parti that the device could play video digitally stored on the hard drive.
However, during the appeal, it was shown that the device could not play DVDs.
Judge Chan said that if the prosecution had known about this flaw, they should have fully disclosed it. Otherwise, the trial court could be misled into thinking the player was in good working condition when Ms Parti was asked questions, he said.
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