Parti Liyani case: The Liews displayed ‘cavalier attitude’ over theft probe, says Shanmugam

SINGAPORE  — The Liew family seems to have displayed a "cavalier attitude" during investigations into their former domestic worker Parti Liyani for alleged theft, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 4). 

They did not seem to have a comprehensive account of what items had allegedly been stolen by Ms Parti or the values of these items, as reflected by inconsistent testimonies among the Liew family members, as well as a debate over the worth of some items. 

“Looking at the evidence, the impression one gets is that there seems to have been a cavalier attitude in the way some items were identified as belonging to the Liews and in the way values were ascribed to some items,” Mr Shanmugam said during a ministerial statement on Ms Parti’s high-profile case.

She was accused of theft by her former employer Liew Mun Leong, the former chairman of Changi Airport Group, and sentenced to 26 months’ jail in March 2019. 

She appealed and the High Court overturned the initial verdict and acquitted her of all charges in September.  The appeal court raised particular concern about the credibility of the evidence of Mr Liew’s son, Mr Karl Liew.

The outcome of the case sparked a public outcry, raising questions about how Ms Parti’s trial was conducted, the evidence-gathering process and whether there was subconscious bias given the vast difference in social status between the accused and her former employer.

Mr Liew Mun Leong was also the former head honcho of several government-linked companies until he resigned, saying that he did not want his “situation” to be a distraction to the companies in question.

Doubts about the credibility of the Liews, especially of Mr Karl Liew, was one factor in the High Court overturning Ms Parti’s original conviction. 

Justice Chan Seng Onn said that there were “serious doubts on Karl’s credibility” and had disregarded his evidence. 

Not only were there inconsistencies in his statements, some claims he made also did not check out with those by the rest of his family members, court documents showed. 

Investigations into Mr Karl Liew over possible perjury have been completed and an outcome will be announced Wednesday evening, Mr Shanmugam said.

Besides inconsistent statements, Mr Shanmugam also noted that some of the items Ms Parti was accused of stealing, such as a Vacheron Constantin watch and a Swatch watch, had either no value or were counterfeits, based on an expert witness.

He said that filing a police report and making claims to items need to be taken seriously.  

“When you claim an item, you make sure it is yours. When you ascribe a value, make sure you have a basis,” Mr Shanmugam said. 

He added that questions have been raised about how one or more of the Liews have conducted themselves. 

Mr Shanmugam also said that he has not made any comments about honesty and has been somewhat restrained due to ongoing investigations, but he would have liked to say more.