A-G Lucien Wong recuses himself from review of Parti Liyani case due to past working relationship with CAG chairman

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said on Wednesday (9 Sept) that Attorney-General (A-G) Lucien Wong has recused himself from the review into the court case, in which ex-maid Parti Liyani was acquitted of stealing from Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family, due to “personal reasons”.

Although the AGC did not disclose what these personal reasons were in its media statement, it later told the press that Mr Wong had been on the board of directors of CapitaLand while Mr Liew was the company’s president and CEO, several years ago before Mr Wong became the A-G.

Mr Wong, who stepped down from the CapitaLand board in January 2006, became the A-G a decade later, in 2016, and was re-appointed for a second term this year. The AGC said, “A-G Lucien Wong and Mr Liew did not have a personal relationship, and this continues today.”

Revealing that the AGC said that Mr Wong and the Deputy Attorney-Generals (DAGs) were not involved in any prosecutorial decisions regarding the charges brought in the case involving Ms Parti Liyani, the authority said “This case was among those routinely handled by AGC, which did not require the involvement of the A-G or the DAGs.”

Instead of Mr Wong, DAG Hri Kumar Nair – a former ruling party parliamentarian – will lead the AGC’s review, which was opened to study the High Court judgment and determine whether any further action needed to be taken.

This is at least the second High Court case that Mr Wong has recused himself from, since he took office in 2016. Mr Wong – who acted as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s personal lawyer before he was appointed as A-G – recused himself from the AGC’s action against PM Lee’s sister-in-law Lee Suet Fern, last year.