'I forgive my employer': Ex-maid acquitted of stealing from CAG chairman hid ordeal from family

Miss Parti Liyani kept her trials and tribulations from her family for the past four years, not wanting them to be worried.

She only apologised for not remitting money home.

The former maid was accused of stealing from Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family. Yesterday, the 46-year-old Indonesian woman from East Java was acquitted in the High Court of stealing over $34,000 worth of items.

Later in the evening, she said she felt no ill will towards the Liew family. Speaking via Zoom, through a translator, she said: "I forgive my employer. I just wish to tell them not to do the same thing to other workers."

Miss Parti and her lawyer, Mr Anil Balchandani, who is acting pro bono, plan to request compensation from the Liew family that will be tied largely to four years of her pay, which was $600 a month.

Her lawyer said: "Whatever the amount we get, I think we will be necessarily grateful for."

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Before her dismissal, the court heard that the nine years with the Liew family were largely cordial; they gave her red packets on special occasions. Things soured when she was asked to clean the office of Mr Liew's son, Karl, and his house in the Chancery Lane estate, where the Liew family home was also located.

When Mr Karl Liew told her that her employment was terminated, she told him: "I know why. You are angry because I refused to clean up your toilet."

The Straits Times has contacted the Ministry of Manpower regarding her complaint about her deployment to Mr Karl Liew's home.

Miss Parti said that throughout her trial, she did not want to worry her family, especially her elderly mother. But she plans to tell them of her ordeal in a few days. For now, she is unable to leave Singapore as she faces a pending charge for fraudulent possession of property.

But when she is able to leave, it may be a one-way trip as she hopes to return to her hometown to open a small business selling food.

Referring to her resolve throughout the current proceedings over the theft charges, she said: "I never thought of pleading guilty because I am in fact innocent."

This article was first published in The Straits Times.