K Shanmugam: Good to discuss Parti Liyani case in Parliament, will make Ministerial Statement

Singapore — Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said on Wednesday (Sept 16) that it will be good to discuss openly the Parti Liyani case in Parliament. He added that he will be making a Ministerial Statement on the matter.

His comments came after Workers’ Party (WP) Chairman and an MP for Aljunied GRC, Ms Sylvia Lim, filed an Adjournment Motion in Parliament for the next sitting in October to discuss the details of the case.

The motion is entitled “Justice For All: Enhancing Equity In The Criminal Justice System”. The WP motion plans to make reference to the deeper issues raised by the case.

The WP said in a Facebook post: “The intention is to discuss aspects of the criminal justice system and the challenges faced by persons of less means in navigating it. Specific suggestions to improve the system will be made.”

Speaking on the sidelines of an event at Tuas View Fire Station, Mr Shanmugam said that in the past few days he had been receiving notices of various questions that had been filed by MPs on the case.

He added that he will deliver a Ministerial Statement on the case.

“I think it’s good that both sides, PAP MPs as well as WP MPs, appear to be very interested,” he said.

On Sept 8, a few days after High Court Judge Chan Seng Onn allowed the appeal on theft charges by Ms Parti, Mr Shanmugam had commented on the judgement at a grassroots event. He had said: “The judge’s comments, we take them very seriously. Something has gone wrong in the chain of events. We have to look at that, and deal with what went wrong.”

Ms Parti was acquitted on appeal of all charges on which she was convicted in March 2019. She had been charged with stealing from the family of then Changi Airport Group Chairman Liew Mun Leong.

Mr Liew was her employer from 2007 until 2016, when she was fired. /TISG

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