Erwiana employer ‘so broke’ from civil claim she needs legal aid for appeal, court hears
Law Wan-tung said she had run out of money but had no confidence in the Legal Aid Department
The employer jailed for abusing Indonesian domestic worker Erwiana Sulistyaningsih told a court today that she was so broke from fighting a civil claim against the maid, that she would have to seek financial aid from a government department in which she placed no confidence.
Law Wan-tung, 44, who claimed she had run out of money , told magistrate Rita So Ka-yin at District Court on Friday that she had had enough of dealing with the Legal Aid Department.
Another court heard earlier that she applied for financial aid to fund an appeal for her criminal case.
That was refused – prompting her to apply for a judicial review – in which she also applied for the public legal fund.
Her judicial review application has been rejected, so she is now expected to apply for legal aid before an appeal judge for her 18 convictions, including inflicting grievous bodily harm on Erwiana.
Yesterday, she told So that she also intended to seek help from the department.
“I have lost my confidence in it. But I have run out of financial means to hire a private lawyer to fight this civil case, so I will have to apply for legal aid,”she said.
The former employer, who claimed earlier that she had been bullied in jail, was brought to court yesterday as she failed to comply with an order made earlier for the civil case.
She pleaded for more time from So to prepare for the document, citing that she could not read English and it took so long for her to apply for legal aid.
So said her earlier application for legal aid was a separate matter and that she should not let that get in the way of complying with the order from this case.
Law was given 42 days to file a mediation certificate and other court documents after So said she understood her difficulties in accessing lawyers and families while in detention.
The court also heard Erwiana would adduce one medical expert, who will access her as a psychiatrist.
So adjourned the case to November.
Law was convicted of 18 out of 20 charges brought in December 2014, eight of which were for assault and criminal intimidation of Erwiana and another Indonesian maid she had employed, Tutik Lestari Ningsih.
During the trial, the court heard she twisted a metal tube from a vacuum cleaner in Erwiana’s mouth, causing cuts to her lips, and punched her so hard that her incisor teeth were fractured.