Anti-corruption head: Macao SAR ex-secretary's corruption cases "won't drag on indefinitely"

The legal cases involving former policy secretary of Macao Special Administration Region (SAR), Ao Man Long, "won't drag on indefinitely" and "hopefully will be completed before too long", the SAR's Commissioner against Corruption, Cheong U, said at a press conference held here on Monday.

Cheong said that the SAR government has taken legal actions to reclaim Ao's ill-gotten wealth in Hong Kong and other places, but "its progress is not under our control".

Ao Man Long, the disgraced former secretary for transport and public works of the SAR, was sentenced by the SAR's Court of Final Appeal to 27 years in prison on 57 counts of corruption, money laundering, abuse of power and false declaration of assets. Ao is the highest-ranking SAR official ever convicted after the return of Macao to China.

Hong Kong media previously reported that Ao's ill-gotten proceeds and assets were worth 637 million HK dollars (81.7 million U.S. dollars) in 39 Hong Kong bank accounts and two safe deposit boxes, and 92 overseas bank accounts which were opened in the name of Ao, his father, fugitive wife, brother and sister-in-law.

Parts of the cases involving Ao was still under investigation and the total of Ao's ill-gotten wealth amounted to more or less 800 million patacas (103 million U.S. dollars), said the Commissioner. But he refused to disclose the details of these cases, saying he had to respect the confidential obligations of ongoing legal cases.

Last month, Ao's absconded wife was sentenced to 23 years on charges of money laundering and unjustified wealth. His younger brother, Ao Man Fu, was jailed for 18 years, while his brother's wife, Ao Chan Wa Choi, was given 13 years, both on money laundering charges. Ao's father, Ao Veng Kong, got 10 years for money laundering.

"Honestly, even one case like this is already too much for us and Macao," said the Commissioner, referring to the legal cases resulting from Ao's corruption scandal.

He also pointed out that it is high time that the SAR government and the local communities reflected on the cause of Ao's corruption scandal in the wake of his record long sentence.

Editor: Wang Hongjiang

Source: Xinhua