Parti Liyani has released a statement on on Wednesday, Nov. 4 with details of a complaint she made against police officers from the Tanglin Police Division.

The former domestic helper was accused of stealing from her employer, former Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong.

She was convicted and sentenced, before being acquitted of the charges following a successful appeal.

According to Parti's statement, the complaint was submitted in Jul. 2020 and she is awaiting "a substantive update" on it.

The statement was made available on the website of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) on Nov. 4, a charity organisation which supported Parti in the course of her legal battle, providing her with accommodation and other assistance.

Details of complaint outlined in statement

The statement outlined four areas that were addressed in her July complaint: Alleged tampering with evidence, issues with her interviews, delays in securing evidence, and wrong instructions resulting in a "misleading sketch".

"Possible tampering with evidence"

According to the statement, there was "possible tampering with evidence" by a police officer when Parti was being questioned in court.

The statement says that Parti's lawyer saw a police officer shaking a Gerald Genta watch which Parti was accused of stealing, when the officer was asked to hand it to Parti.

She was then asked if it was working, and said that its hands were moving at that point.

However, during re-examination, the watch hands "did not move at all" when her lawyer asked the police officer not to shake the watch.

She said that this was "an attempt to cast me as being untruthful to the Court."

Issues with interviews

Parti also highlighted the fact that she was interviewed by police without a Bahasa Indonesia interpreter, and the fact that during these interviews, she was not allowed to view the allegedly stolen items.

Delays in securing evidence

She also pointed to "delays in the securing of evidence" that gave rise to the charges against her, which raised concerns about its integrity.

Wrong instructions given by investigating officer

Finally, Parti's statement alleges that "wrong instructions given to the police crime scene specialist by the investigating officer" resulted in a "misleading sketch".

This sketch "inaccurately depicted" three boxes of allegedly stolen items.

Intent behind complaint

Parti explained that her intent in filing the complaint was to "rectify the issues illustrated by my case, and to make improvements across the criminal justice system".

She said that her application for an inquiry into the conduct of the prosecutors was also made with the same intentions.

Her statement said:

"What happened to me may also happen to many other disadvantaged people. I hope that the review based on my complaint may contribute to fully and transparently addressing the broader issues, and improving the fairness of the criminal justice system for all."

In addition to the complaints against the police and AGC, Parti is also seeking S$71,000 in compensation for her losses.

Ministerial statement

Parti's statement comes just hours before Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam is due to speak on the case in Parliament in a Ministerial statement on the same day (Nov. 4).

You can see HOME's post here:

Top image via Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics