MOM Not Taking Further Action Against Former CAG Chairman’s Family for Illegal Deployment of Former FDW

When Parti Liyani, a foreign domestic worker, was found to have been wrongly accused of theft, Singaporeans were baying for blood.

Her former employer, former Changi Airport Group (CAG) chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family, accused her of stealing more than $34k worth of items from them.

Parti 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.

Netizens called for the Liew family to be punished for their allegations, which could have landed Parti in prison for over two years.

Karl Liew, the son of the former CAG chairman, was recently charged for giving false evidence and false information in Parti’s case.

However, they won’t be punished for illegally deploying Parti.

MOM Not Taking Further Action Against Former CAG Chairman’s Family for Illegal Deployment of Former FDW

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that no further action will be taken against the Liew family, after reviewing its response to a complaint from Parti.

Parti had made a report in October 2017 of illegal deployment, something MOM investigated from 2017 to 2018.

After concluding investigations, MOM consulted the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and issued a caution against Mrs Liew Mun Leong and an advisory notice to Karl Liew.

However, after Parti got acquitted, MOM reviewed this response and consulted AGC on its recommendations, according to The Straits Times.

“AGC has affirmed the earlier actions taken by MOM against Ms Parti’s former employers on her illegal deployment to Karl Liew’s home and office, and has directed that no further action be taken against the parties involved in this matter,” MOM said.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday (4 Nov), Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said that while there were lapses in the handling of the case, no improper influence was found.

He added that if allegations of perjury and other such offences arise, the AGC would look into them.

Items She “Stole” Turned Out to be Hers

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.

As a result, he terminated her employment, and gave her three hours to pack before returning to Indonesia.

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 Liew’s son, 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.

However, during her appeal, it was found 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.

This was confirmed on Thursday, when Karl was found to have given false evidence and information in Parti’s case.

When testifying at her trial, Karl said, under oath, that a cream polo T-shirt and a red blouse belonged to him, even though he did not believe those statements to be true.

If Karl is convicted of intentionally giving false information in a judicial proceeding, he could be jailed for up to seven years and fined.

One thing has certainly been proven with Parti’s acquittal; justice, more often than not, will prevail.