Parti Liyani case: Ministerial statement next month will address MPs' questions, says Desmond Tan

SINGAPORE: A ministerial statement which is expected to be made during next month's Parliament sitting will address questions raised by Members of Parliament (MPs) on the Parti Liyani case, said Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan.

Speaking in Parliament on Monday (Oct 5), Mr Tan was responding to questions from MPs on the case. A total of 14 parliamentary questions were filed on this.

"The agencies have considered the High Court judgment and are conducting reviews," said Mr Tan. "These reviews are still in progress." 

After the reviews are completed, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam will address the questions raised by members in a ministerial statement. This is expected to be done at the November sitting.

In comments provided to CNA last Friday, Mr Shanmugam said he will make the statement after reviews by the police and the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) are completed. 

READ: Timeline: How former maid Parti Liyani was acquitted of stealing from Changi Airport Group chairman's family

Ms Parti, a former domestic helper employed by then-chairman of Changi Airport Group Liew Mun Leong, had been convicted in March last year of stealing S$34,000 worth of items from Mr Liew and his family. 

A High Court judge overturned the conviction on Sep 4 this year, outlining several issues with the conviction findings and how the case was handled.

Following this, the AGC said that the findings "raise questions which warrant further investigation”, and will assess if any further action should be taken.

On Sep 8, Ms Parti was cleared of her last charge, which accused her of having items that she was suspected to have obtained fraudulently. She was given a discharge amounting to an acquittal of the fifth charge.

READ: Parti Liyani, former maid of CAG chairman, cleared of last remaining charge

READ: Liew Mun Leong retires from CAG, other public service and business roles after court's decision on Parti Liyani case

Ms Parti then took to court to seek disciplinary proceedings against the prosecutors in her case. If she is successful, proceedings could be initiated to assess if there was any misconduct by the prosecutors.

The case has since been adjourned, with the Chief Justice giving her two weeks to reconsider her application after she expressed some doubts about pursuing it.

Ms Parti's lawyer Anil Balchandani said in the hearing in chambers last week that she has been "somewhat overwhelmed by the events of the past month". 

"He has further drawn to my attention the fact that uppermost in his client’s mind is the fact that she has not been home to Indonesia for the last four years and that she naturally wishes to be able to return as soon as conveniently possible," said the Chief Justice in explaining his decision to adjourn the case. 

READ: Parti Liyani's case against prosecutors adjourned while she decides if she wants to drop it

Because of this, Ms Parti initially considered withdrawing her application to investigate the prosecutors' conduct. 

However, she "evidently also believes that the (Deputy Public Prosecutors) should answer the allegations she has raised in her affidavit and is altogether somewhat torn between the various competing considerations", said the Chief Justice.