The son of the previous chairman of Changi Airport Group, Karl Liew, admitted to misleading the judge during Parti Liyani's trial.
Karl Liew, son of former Changi Airport Group chairman, admits lying to judge during Parti Liyani’s trial
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Karl Liew Kai Lung, the son of former Changi Airport Group Chairman Liew Mun Leong, confessed in court on Thursday, March 30, that he had lied to the judge during the theft trial of his family's maid.
In July 2018, Karl, 45, entered a guilty plea to one count of perjury after admitting during the State Courts hearing that a cream polo T-shirt and a red blouse belonged to him.
Consideration was given to a second charge of making a false statement to a police officer, claiming that he discovered "119 pieces of clothing" that belonged to him in boxes packed by Ms. Parti Liyani.
The Liews employed Ms. Parti as a housekeeper between 2007 and 2016, according to testimony in court.
In a district court between 2018 and 2019, she was on trial for theft, including reportedly taking S$46,856 worth of Karl's clothing.
During his testimony at the trial, Karl claimed ownership of two items: a red blouse and a white T-shirt.
Karl maintained the clothing was his even after Ms. Parti's attorney, Mr. Anil Balchandani, cross-examined him on it and said the shirt would not fit him.possessed by him.
Karl responded, "I don't recall the shirts that I wear or take track of when I wore shirts... when I do not wear shirts," in response to Mr. Balchandani's question about how the cream polo T-shirt came to be in his possession.
Karl responded "Yes" when Mr. Balchandani informed him that it was a lady's cream polo T-shirt after he claimed he did not recognize the name.
He didn't concur that Ms. Parti owned the shirt, though.
Karl disputed the assertion that the shirt would not suit him.
When questioned if he frequently dressed like a woman, Karl responded, "Sometimes."
Karl objected.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Kelvin Chong, Karl knew that his lies would lead the court to convict Ms. Parti, which would be detrimental to her.
Later, the district court changed the charge to exclude those garments, and Ms. Parti was not found guilty of the charges related to the disputed garments.
Later, the district court found Ms. Parti guilty of additional theft-related offenses and sentenced her to 26 months in prison.
Her conviction was overturned by the High Court after she filed an appeal; the court had noted several problems with her case, including a break in the line of evidence. Karl was described as a witness who "lacked credibility and did not take the giving of testimony seriously" by the author.
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The two SIDES Requesting FINE
Both the indictment and guard requested the greatest fine of S$5,000 for Karl.
Karl has been convicted of theft once before, and he was given a probationary sentence in 1993.
Mr Chong said Karl had misled the court while after swearing to tell the truth to come clean and was "acutely cognizant" of the mischief Ms Parti would endure assuming she had been indicted in view of his declaration.
Mr. Chong said that even after Ms. Parti's attorney confronted him about his lies and showed him physical evidence, he continued to tell lies.
However, Mr. Chong stated that Karl had not taken any "active or sophisticated steps to bolster his lies in court" and that there was no evidence of malice or premeditation.
Mr. Chong stated, "We are also aware that the accused is currently suffering from Parkinson's disease, which affects the impact that a custodial sentence will have on him." When formulating our position regarding the severity of the sentence, we have also taken into account this factor."
Mr. Adam Maniam, Karl's lawyer at Drew & Napier, said that Ms. Parti was not actually hurt because the judge took away the two items of clothing from the charge.
Three weeks prior to giving evidence in Ms. Parti's trial, Mr. Maniam stated that his client had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when he was 41 years old.
He stated that, a few weeks before Karl was scheduled to testify, he was observed to have, among other symptoms, resting tremors and a slow gait.
When Karl testified in open court, he was stressed and "very anxious" because he was concerned that his hand tremors would be noticed and that his condition would be made public.
The prosecutor responded that it was difficult to comprehend how stress might lead someone to lie.
Separately, when questioned by the judge, he confirmed that nobody else in this case is facing any additional charges or proceedings.
The appointed authority concluded the condemning to April, saying he wanted opportunity to think about the case. He didn't want the adjournment to make Karl suffer any more, so he asked Karl if he had a way to deal with his anxiety, which makes his condition worse.
Karl's legal advisor said his client is recommended medicine at certain places.
On Thursday, Ms. Parti's attorney attended Karl's hearing.
AFTERMATH OF ACQUITTAL Following Ms. Parti's acquittal, Mr. Liew Mun Leong announced his retirement from Changi Airport Group, Surbana Jurong, Temasek Foundation, and Temasek International business positions.
Ms. Parti then took additional steps, requesting an investigation into alleged misconduct by her case's prosecutors and a compensation order from the court, estimating her losses at approximately S$71,000 over four years.
Her application was denied by the High Court because she failed to demonstrate that the prosecution against her was frivolous or vexatious. Instead, there was sufficient evidence at the beginning of the proceedings to establish that the case could be tried in court.
Since then, Ms. Parti has returned to Indonesia.
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