The chairman of the board of directors at the Changi Airport Group Liew Mun Leong says he is retiring from his roles in business and public service.

The announcement, which was made on September 10, came after the High Court overturned a previous judgement and acquitted Liew’s former maid of stealing.

Parti Liyani was convicted of four charges of stealing from Liew and his family on March 2019 by district judge Olivia Low. Parti was accused of theft in 2016 by the Liews.

On Sep 4, 2020, High Court judge Chan Seng Onn acquitted Parti of all charges after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Parti was cleared of her fifth and last charge on September 8.

A day later, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said it would be reviewing the case. Attorney-General Lucien Wong removed himself from the review citing “personal reasons”.

In a statement to the media, Liew said that he decided to “bring forward” his retirement from his roles including the Changi Airport Group, Surbana Jurong, Temasek Foundation, and Temasek International with immediate effect “after much deliberation”.

CAG says it thanks Liew for his "many years of service as well as contributions to the development of Changi Airport" in a September 10 statement.

The statement also cited his achievements including the increase in passenger traffic and revenue at Changi and his "stewardship and strategic counsel" on landmark projects including Jewel Changi Airport.

CAG's CEO Lee Seow Hiang says, "Mr Liew’s vision and passion for Changi was an inspiration to the people of CAG and the airport community to always strive for excellence to deliver an exceptional Changi Experience. The result has been Changi Airport being recognised as the world’s most awarded airport".

“We are truly appreciative of Mr Liew’s dedication to growing Changi Airport over the years and to securing Singapore’s position as a major aviation hub. We wish him good health and the very best for his future," Lee adds.

Following Liew's retirement, Tan Gee Paw, who has been on the CAG board since May 2017, has been appointed to serve as acting chairman. Tan was previously chairman of the Public Utilities Board (PUB) from April 1, 2001, until his retirement on March 31, 2017.

On September 11, Surbana Jurong says its board of directors have accepted Liew's resignation as chairman of the board.

Lauding his achievements as founding chairman, Surbana Jurong says it has made a series of transformative acquisitions to forge an integrated technical consultancy services platform with a complete value proposition for the built environment under Liew's guidance.

“While the ​change​ in chairmanship has taken place unexpectedly, the board, management and global workforce of Surbana Jurong ​have the collective resolve to carry on with business as usual. Everything we have achieved thus far serves as a solid foundation to advance our work as a technical platform for creating a smart, sustainable and resilient built environment. We remain focused on our clients and supporting them in their plans for a post-Covid future," says Surbana Jurong's Group CEO Wong Heang Fine.