Attorney-General not involved in former maid’s case

Attorney-General (A-G) Lucien Wong and the Deputy A-Gs were not involved in any prosecutorial decisions in the case of former domestic worker Parti Liyani.

The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) said this yesterday, adding: "This case was among those routinely handled by AGC which did not require the involvement of the A-G or the DAGs."

It issued a statement in response to media queries on the case, which has made headlines since last Friday when Ms Parti was acquitted by the High Court of stealing from Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family.

The AGC added in its statement that Deputy A-G Hri Kumar Nair will lead the review into the case.

Mr Wong had, for personal reasons, already recused himself from the review of this case last Saturday, soon after the High Court judgment was released, the AGC added.

Its statement did not elaborate on the reasons.

However, the AGC noted that several years prior to his appointment as attorney-general, Mr Wong sat on the board of directors of CapitaLand while Mr Liew was president and chief executive of the company.

Mr Wong stepped down from the board in January 2006.

He was appointed attorney-general in 2017.

"A-G Lucien Wong and Mr Liew did not have a personal relationship, and this continues today," the statement added.

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Several comments online and on social media following Ms Parti's acquittal had noted that Mr Wong and Mr Liew were on the CapitaLand board at the same time.

Ms Parti, 46, who worked for the Liew family from 2007 to 2016, was acquitted of theft last Friday in a judgment that also raised questions about the motivation of Mr Liew and his family in lodging a police report against the maid.

The AGC said on Sunday that it was studying the judgment to assess what further action, if any, ought to be taken in light of Justice Chan Seng Onn's comments.