Last Updated on 2023-04-03 , 9:31 am
Some of us can’t imagine lying to our parents, let alone a judge.
Remember Ms Parti Liyani, the maid accused of stealing from Changi Airport Group’s former chairman Liew Mun Leong’s family?
Karl Liew, the former chairman’s son, has admitted to lying to a district judge during the case.
Karl Liew Admits to Lying
Karl Liew pleaded guilty on 30 March to one charge of giving false information to a public servant.
The 45-year-old will be sentenced on 14 April.
Notably, he has Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that causes uncontrollable movements like muscle tremors and difficulty with balance.
He had been diagnosed three weeks before testifying at Ms Parti’s trial.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Kelvin Chong acknowledged Liew’s disease and said that the condition would affect a jail term’s impact on him.
The DPP urged the court to sentence Liew to the maximum fine.
If you didn’t know, the maximum fine is $5,000.
Defence lawyer Adam Maniam agreed with the fine.
For giving false information to a public servant, an offended can be sentenced to a jail term of up to two years, fined or both.
What Did He Lie About?
The saga has been going on for a long time, so here’s a recap.
Ms Parti started working as a maid in the Liew household in March 2007.
In March 2016, the Indonesian was asked to do Liew’s chores at his home and clean his office at another location.
She was unhappy about needing to do the extra work.
Domestic workers can only work at the residential address declared to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
The family terminated her employment in October 2016.
She was given only two hours to pack her belongings into three boxes.
Ms Parti threatened to complain to the MOM before she returned to her home country.
She also asked Liew to pay for the packed boxes to be shipped to her.
However, a day after she left, the Liew family opened the boxes and lodged a police report claiming that some items she had packed belonged to the family.
In December 2016, Ms Parti was arrested when she returned to Singapore to find work.
She was later found guilty of four counts of theft by District Judge Olivia Low on 20 March 2019 and sentenced to two years and two months of imprisonment.
She was accused of stealing over $34,000 worth of items, including a $10,000 Gerald Genta watch, 115 items of clothing worth $150 each, and two iPhones with accessories valued at more than $2,000.
Among the clothing included a cream polo T-shirt and a red blouse.
On 17 July 2018, Liew falsely testified that the shirt and blouse belonged to him.
On 20 March 2019, Judge Low removed five articles of clothing, including the shirt and blouse, from the charge as she found that both garments did not belong to Liew.
Liew was initially charged with giving false information in November 2020.
Ms Parti Cleared of All Criminal Charges
In September 2020, the High Court overturned the convictions against Ms Parti.
High Court judge Chan Seng Onn was the one who approved her appeal, finding the trial judge’s original conviction unsafe.
He noted that the police’s handling of evidence fell short of expectations.
The two police officers involved have since been fined.
In February 2022, Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said that the investigation officer (IO) and his supervisor had neglected their duties.
Not only did the IO not visit the crime scene promptly to carry out investigations, but he also failed to verify claims made by the parties.
Mr Shanmugam also noted that the supervisor did not provide enough guidance.
However, he acknowledged that the police officers were performing under challenging circumstances due to the staffing shortage in the police force.
He said both officers faced penalties in the medium range.
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Compensation Bid
Mr Anil Balchandani was engaged by the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) to assist with Ms Parti’s case at the end of 2017.
HOME was founded in 2004 to help advocate for the rights of migrant workers.
Some of the organisation’s activities include providing shelter for abused domestic workers, skills training programmes and legal services for all migrant workers.
After her acquittal in September 2020, Mr Balalchandani asked District Judge Eddy Tham to order the items listed in the charge to be returned to Ms Parti.
The items included six ez-link cards, a pawn ticket, brand-name bags and wallets, two watches and fashion accessories, which the charge sheet listed as of “unknown value”.
It was unclear if the brand-name bags and wallets were authentic.
He also asked for Ms Parti’s information to be removed from the criminal registry.
However, the district judge rejected this application, citing that Ms Parti could take action if the charges were subsequently held against her.
Mr Balchandani also sought a compensation order of $73,100 for the “frivolous and vexatious” prosecution of Ms Parti in 2021.
The sum included salary losses of $37,500 over 50 months, ang paos, pay increments and $29,400 for her lodging provided by HOME.
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