Changi Airport chairman steps down after backlash on maid fiasco

The chairman of Singapore’s award-winning Changi Airport, Liew Mun Leong, has stepped down amid mounting criticism after a court overturned a conviction against a domestic worker who had been charged of stealing from his household.

In a statement Thursday, Liew said he would retire from Changi Airport Group and various public service and business roles with immediate effect. “I do not wish my current situation to be a distraction,” he said.

Singapore’s High Court last week acquitted Parti Liyani, an Indonesian maid, with the justice saying the Liew family had an “improper motive” for accusing the helper of stealing S$34,000 ($24,890) worth of items such as watches and clothes. The judge noted there was reason to believe the family filed a police report against their former maid to stop her from lodging a complaint against them about her work arrangements.

The scandal sparked a fierce backlash in the city-state, including angry comments on the airport’s Facebook page calling for him to step down.