SINGAPORE: Karl Liew Kai Lung, the son of former Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong, admitted in a court on Thursday (Mar 30) to lying to a judge when his family’s maid was on trial for theft.
Karl, 45, pleaded guilty to one charge of intentionally giving false evidence in July 2018 by testifying during the trial in the State Courts that a cream polo T-shirt and a red blouse belonged to him.
A second charge of giving a false statement to a police officer that he found “119 pieces of clothing” belonging to him, in boxes packed by Ms Parti Liyani, was taken into consideration.
The court heard that Ms Parti worked as a domestic helper for the Liews between 2007 and 2016.
She was tried for theft, including allegedly stealing clothing belonging to Karl, and went on trial in a district court between 2018 and 2019.
Karl testified during the trial and said that two items – a red blouse and a polo T-shirt – belonged to him.
Even when Ms Parti’s counsel, Mr Anil Balchandani, cross-examined him on it and said the shirt would not fit him, Karl insisted the clothes were his.
This was when he knew that his lie would cause the judge to convict Ms Parti, to her injury, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Kelvin Chong.
The district judge later amended the charge to remove those clothes and Ms Parti was not convicted over the accusations involving the disputed clothes.
The district court later found Ms Parti guilty over other charges of theft and sentenced her to 26 months’ jail.
The High Court overturned her conviction on appeal, with the judge flagging several issues with her case including a break in the chain of evidence. He also noted that Karl was “a witness who was not only lacking in credibility but also did not take the process of giving testimony seriously”.
Both the prosecution and defence asked for the maximum fine of S$5,000 for Karl.
Karl has one previous conviction – he was sentenced to probation in 1993 for charges including theft.
Mr Chong said Karl had lied to the court while under oath to tell the truth and was “keenly aware” of the harm Ms Parti would suffer if she had been convicted based on his testimony.
He also maintained his lies even after Ms Parti’s counsel showed him physical exhibits and confronted him on his lies, said Mr Chong.
Karl’s lawyer, Mr Adam Maniam from Drew & Napier, said there was no actual harm done to Ms Parti, as the judge ultimately removed the two items of clothing from the charge.
Mr Maniam said his client was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 41, before giving evidence in Ms Parti’s trial.
He said that Karl was observed to have resting tremors and slow gait, among other symptoms, a few weeks before he was due to give evidence.
Karl was stressed and “very anxious” when he gave evidence in open court, fearing his hand tremors would be noticed and that his condition would be made public.
The judge adjourned the sentencing to April, saying he needed time to consider the case.
After Ms Parti was acquitted, Mr Liew Mun Leong announced that he was retiring from his public service and business roles with Changi Airport Group, Surbana Jurong, Temasek Foundation and Temasek International.
Ms Parti subsequently took further actions by seeking an investigation for alleged misconduct by the prosecutors in her case and turning to court for a compensation order, estimating her losses to be about S$71,000 over four years.
The High Court dismissed her application, saying she had not succeeded in proving that the prosecution against her was frivolous or vexatious. Instead, there was sufficient evidence at the start of proceedings such that there was a case fit to be tried before the court.