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SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to review the “punishment framework” for employers who illegally deploy their female servants, said Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang in Parliament on Monday (5 October) .
Action will be taken against errant employers, regardless of whether these employers knew they were deploying their servants illegally.
“This is to remind employers that they are ultimately responsible for their foreign domestic workers and must take steps to ensure that the deployment of foreign domestic workers in their home is not against the law,” said Ms. Gan.
READ: Annual average of 16 employers fined over the past three years for illegally deploying their maids: MOM
Ms. Gan was responding to a question from Member of Parliament Yeo Wan Ling about the actions taken by MOM in the Parti Liyani case. Ms. Yeo also asked if the actions were consistent with similar cases in the past.
Ms. Parti, a former domestic worker to then-Changi Airport Group Chairman Liew Mun Leong, was illegally sent to work in the home and office of Mr. Liew’s son. MOM took no action against the elderly Mr. Liew, but issued a warning to Mrs. Liew and a warning notice to Mr. Karl Liew.
“In determining punitive actions for illegal deployment, MOM’s key considerations are the degree to which the foreign domestic worker’s welfare has been compromised and the extent of the illegal deployment,” said Ms. Gan.
Ms. Parti’s case was handled by the ministry with these considerations in mind, Ms. Gan said. The actions taken against the Liews also coincided with similar cases.
An annual average of 550 illegal deployment complaints were made from 2017 to 2019, Ms Gan added. Of these, MOM took action against an average of 155 employers a year, he noted.
READ: Parti Liyani Case: Next month’s ministerial statement will address MPs’ questions, says Desmond Tan
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Ms. Parti had been convicted in March last year of stealing items worth S $ 34,000 from Liew and her family. A Superior Court judge overturned the conviction on September 4 of this year, highlighting several problems with the conviction findings and how the case was handled.
On September 8, Ms Parti was acquitted of her latest charge, which accused her of having items that she was suspected of having obtained fraudulently. They gave him a discharge equivalent to the acquittal of the fifth charge.
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Ms Parti then went to court to seek disciplinary proceedings against prosecutors in her case. If successful, procedures could be initiated to assess whether there was any misconduct by prosecutors.
A ministerial statement is expected to be made during next month’s parliament session to address questions raised by MPs on the case.
