SINGAPORE, Jan 17 — Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) has suspended its executive director Deshi Gill following allegations that she had misappropriated funds of the migrant worker advocacy group.
In a statement on its Facebook page on Tuesday (Jan 17), Home said that it believed there was a basis for suspected misconduct by Ms Deshi after its preliminary investigations.
“The suspension was put in place for Home to conduct its internal inquiry,” said Home in its statement.
The organisation added that it had notified the relevant authorities of the allegations and both its board and staff will provide necessary information as part of any investigations to be carried out.
“As the matter is now with the authorities, we are unable to comment further,” it added.
Ms Deshi has been working with Home since 2017 and was appointed as its executive director in 2021.
Founded in 2004, Home is funded by donations and is an Institution of Public Character approved by the Commissioner of Charities, meaning that it is a tax-exempt charity.
The organisation provides support to migrant workers who are abused or exploited and has been involved in several prominent advocacy initiatives.
For example, in 2018, Home approached defence counsel Anil Balchandani to represent Indonesian domestic worker Parti Liyani pro bono. Ms Parti had been accused by her former employer, the former Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong, of theft.
Although she was sentenced to 26 months’ jail, she was acquitted by the High Court in 2020 following an appeal.
The high-profile case sparked public outcry, raising questions about how her trial was conducted and if there were issues with the evidence-gathering process.
In its statement, Home also said that it is reviewing its governance controls to ensure “the rigour of (its) internal processes” to prevent such lapses from occurring again.
The organisation thanked members of the public and donors, and said that its commitment to advance the migrant worker cause “remains unwavering”.
“During this time, all our operations and services continue to function, and we will continue to strive to improve the well-being and dignity of migrant workers in Singapore,” said Home in its statement.
Ms Deshi declined comment when contacted by TODAY on Tuesday morning. — TODAY
