Liew Mun Leong & Attorney-General Lucien Wong Have No Personal R’ship, This Continues Today: AGC
The case of former Indonesia domestic helper Parti Liyani, who was accused of stealing but acquitted of all 5 charges, has transfixed Singaporeans for days now.
In particular, the spotlight has been shone on her ex-employer, Changi Airport Group (CAG) chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family, whom the judge said had an “improper motive” for accusing Ms Parti of stealing.
Now, part of the focus has also shifted to Attorney-General Lucien Wong, as he was on the board of directors of real estate group CapitaLand at the same time that Mr Liew was its president and chief executive.
This has prompted the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to say that Mr Wong and Mr Liew “did not have a personal relationship”.
Attorney-General Lucien Wong (left) and CAG chairman Liew Mun Leong.
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Liew, Wong on CapitaLand board the same time
A media statement from the AGC issued on Wednesday (6 Sep) acknowledged that Mr Wong sat on the CapitaLand board of directors at the same time that Mr Liew was president and chief executive.
In CapitaLand’s 2001 annual report, both Mr Liew’s and Mr Wong’s faces appear under the heading “board of directors”.
The report goes on to describe Mr Liew as president and CEO, while Mr Wong is listed as a director.
Both men were on the same committee in 2001
According to its 2000 annual report, as of 28 Feb 2001, Mr Liew was a member of CapitaLand’s investment, nominations, budget & finance and corporate disclosure committees.
Mr Wong was on the audit and corporate disclosure committees.
That means both Mr Liew and Mr Wong were both members of the corporate disclosure committee, with Mr Sum Soon Lim as chairman. They were the only 3 board members on the committee.
Wong left board in 2006
According to the 2006 annual report, Mr Wong was no longer on the CapitaLand board of directors.
In an endnote on page 246, the report revealed that he resigned as a director on 2 Jan 2006.
This was also mentioned in the AGC statement.
However, despite Mr Liew and Mr Wong having been on the board together for at least 5 years, the AGC said the 2 men “did not have a personal relationship”.
This lack of a personal relationship continues up till today, the statement added.
Wong sworn in as A-G in 2017
Fast forward to 2017, and Mr Wong has been sworn in as Singapore’s Attorney-General at the age of 63.
Mr Wong is sworn in before then President Tony Tan & Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.
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According to The Straits Times, Mr Wong begun his term as Attorney-General on 14 Jan 2017.
Just months before, on 28 Oct 2016, Ms Parti was sacked by Mr Liew’s family, according to the judgement.
Mr Liew and his son Karl made a police report on 30 Oct 2016, and Ms Parti was arrested on 2 Dec 2016.
A-G & Deputy A-G not involved in prosecution of Ms Parti
According to the AGC’s statement, Mr Wong was not involved in any of the prosecution’s decisions when charges were brought against Ms Parti.
Neither was Deputy Attorney-General Hri Kumar, who was appointed in March 2017, involved.
That’s because Ms Parti’s case was a routine case, and the involvement of the Attorney-General and Deputy Attorney-General wasn’t needed, the AGC said.
Deputy A-G will lead review of case judgement
However, Mr Hri Kumar will be leading the review into Justice Chan Seng Onn’s judgement of the case.
That’s because Ms Parti has been acquitted, and Justice Chan’s judgement made some comments about the Liew family in his judgement.
This is to see if “further action” should be taken.
A-G Wong recused himself from review
As for Mr Wong, he recused himself from the review of the case on 5 Sep, said the AGC.
That’s the day after the High Court acquitted Ms Parti and released its judgement.
Mr Wong is recusing himself “for personal reasons”, the AGC added.
By the way, he was reappointed Attorney-General on 14 Jan this year, for another 3-year term.
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Best to clarify things amid public scrutiny
Due to this case, Mr Liew and his family have been under scrutiny, and even CAG hasn’t escaped the wrath of netizens, who filled its Facebook page with unhappy comments.
Due to this public scrutiny, it’s good that the AGC clarified Mr Wong’s relationship with Mr Liew, to avoid further speculation.
Let’s hope the AGC can do a thorough review and satisfy Singaporeans’ thirst for answers on this matter.
Featured images adapted from Facebook and Facebook.
