Ao Macau’s Crooked Former Government Official Gets 27 Years Jail Term
Written on January 30, 2008 by admin
The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said he believed that the verdict passed today by the Court of Final Appeal on Ao Man Long, a former official, was just.
This was the CE reaction to the news that Macau’s highest-level official ever convicted of corruption was sentenced to 27 years in prison Wednesday for taking contract kickbacks in the construction boom that’s turning the Chinese gambling enclave into a Las Vegas-style vacation destination.
Ao Man-long, a former transport and public works secretary, was found guilty of taking millions of dollars in bribes, laundering money and abusing his power to help property developers win construction contracts.
The harsh sentence in Macau , the only place in China where casino gambling is legal, underscores the former Portuguese territory’s efforts to shrug off a reputation for organized crime.
Judge Sam Hou Fai said Ao had turned his job into a “moneymaking machine” and that his “shocking behavior” had smeared Macau’s image.
Ao did not react as Sam read the verdict.
At the time of his arrest in December 2006, Ao had amassed a personal fortune of $99 million, much of it stashed in bank accounts in London, Hong Kong and Macau, and a string of luxury homes. About $31.13 million of his assets were ordered seized, and some of his properties confiscated.
Ao’s lawyer, Nuno Simoes, said his client would likely appeal Wednesday’s verdict. “The sentence was very severe. Because of the severity, we have a right for someone to review it,” Simoes told reporters. According to Macau law, Ao could have received a 30-year sentence.
Ao’s wife, father and four business associates, three of whom are on the run, are also being tried for money laundering charges linked to Ao’s case.
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