Back in March 2019, when Covid-19 didn’t exist and our biggest fear was getting demolished by a speeding PMD on the pavement, a certain domestic helper was accused of stealing.
Stealing more than $34k worth of items from her employers, Changi Airport Group (CAG) chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family, that is.
The helper, Miss Parti Liyani, was found guilty on four counts of theft on 20 Mar 2019 and sentenced to two years and two months’ jail.
But then she appealed, and one and half years later, her conviction was overturned and she was acquitted.
Confused? Well, you’re not the only one.
There’s yet another development in the case, but before we get to that, here’s a summary of what happened.
Allegedly Stole Employer’s Belongings
Parti, now 46, started working at the Liew family’s house in Chancery Lane in March 2007.
Over the years, Mr Liew found that several belongings had gone missing and suspected that Parti had stolen them.
So, he decided to terminate her employment in Oct 2016, after nearly a decade of working for the family.
The CAG chairman was overseas, so his son, Karl Liew, handled Parti’s termination and repatriation to Indonesia.
Parti was informed of her termination and given around three hours to pack her bags.
The helper was upset and demanded that the family pay for three large boxes of items to be shipped to her home, a request to which Karl agreed.
However, Parti returned to Indonesia without taking the boxes with her.
Since they had to declare the contents before shipping the boxes to Indonesia, they had a look inside and said they found many of their belongings in the box.
These included a $10,000 Gerald Genta watch and two iPhones with accessories valued at more than $2,000.
The helper then returned to Singapore and was charged.
Cleared of Charges
A year later, however, Parti was cleared of all charges after she appealed her sentence.
She claimed she was being framed to prevent her from lodging a complaint against the family for illegal deployment.
Many defendants have claimed they were framed, sure, but Parti might be one of the few who could be actually telling the truth.
At the time of her conviction, Parti argued that the “stolen” items the family had found were either her belongings, items she found in the trash, or things she had not even packed in the boxes.
And since the police only attended to the scene five weeks after the incident, the judge believed there was reasonable doubt as to whether the “evidence” was legitimate.
See, during these five weeks, the family was told they could use the items in the box, but it’s unclear if the items put back were the same ones that were removed earlier.
The judge also found Karl’s testimony to be “highly suspect”, and discovered that two statements were taken from Parti without an interpreter, which could have impacted the accuracy of the translation.
So, she was acquitted, and now, further actions might be taken.
AGC Will Study Judgment
The Straits Times reported that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) will study the High Court judgment by Justice Chan Seng Onn following Parti’s acquittal.
What the authorities find suspicious is how little time Parti was given to pack, adding substance to her claim that they were hoping she wouldn’t make a complaint about her illegal deployment.
After she had threatened to do so, Liew and his son Karl lodged the police report about her “theft” to prevent her from returning to Singapore to report them.
The AGC said it will study the judgment to assess if further action is required.
Police & MOM Looking Into Matter
Both the police and Ministry of Manpower (MOM) are also looking into the matter, reported ST.
The police said it would be looking into Justice Chan’s observations on police investigations during the incident.
MOM is also in consultation with AGC to assess if further action is required.
The ministry added that it investigated Parti’s report of illegal deployment – which she lodged in 2017 – and found that it had indeed happened on different occasions.
For this offence, MOM issued a caution to Mrs Liew and an advisory to Karl Liew.
If something nefarious had indeed taken place, things are not going to end well for the family.
Meanwhile, Part’s lawyer said they’d be making an application for compensation from the Liew family. This will likely amount to four years of her pay, which was $600 a month.
“Whatever the amount we get, I think we will be necessarily grateful for,” the lawyer said.
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