Maid to pursue a civil defamation suit against complainant

[Xiahou Dun]

Maid to pursue a civil defamation suit against complainant
By Shaffiq Alkhatib | Posted: 07 October 2010 1604 hrs
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SINGAPORE: A Filipino maid may have to pursue a civil defamation suit against a woman who had wrongly accused her of working in her employer's clinic.

Forty-year-old Marites Dela Cruz Martinez had originally sought a private prosecution for criminal defamation against Ong May Lee.

However, the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) had wanted to stop this.

Deputy Public Prosecutor, David Khoo told District Judge Lee Poh Choo that Ms Martinez's case has no public interest.

Ms Martinez's lawyer, Glenn Knight, said in his submissions that the Public Prosecutor has only supervisory powers over the conduct of prosecutions.

Mr Knight added that even in such cases, the Public Prosecutor has no such powers to discontinue them.

In response, Chen Chee Yen, who represented Madam Ong, said that the AGC has the power to intervene and discontinue private prosecution proceedings.

He asked the court to grant the AGC's application for a withdrawal of the charges against his client.

DPP Khoo added that he did not see a reason why the case shouldn't be pursued in civil proceedings.

The judge agreed and granted Madam Ong a discharge amounting to an acquittal on the two charges against her.

The housewife had written complaints to the Manpower Ministry and the Singapore Medical Council on December 6, 2008, claiming that Ms Martinez had been dispensing medicines at Dr Ashok Segar's clinic, East Coast Medical Centre.

Maids are not supposed to work in clinics as it would violate the conditions on their work permit.

Ms Martinez declined to comment when asked if she will continue to pursue the matter via a civil suit. - CNA/fa