Former maritime official sentenced to prison for corruption

The former deputy director of the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA), Vong Kam Fai, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for “passive corruption for an illegal act,” according to a ruling by the Court of Final Appeal (TUI) yesterday.

This decision follows a lengthy legal saga that dates back to 2014, involving a controversial contract awarded to the company ‘China Overseas’ for dredging work near the Coloane Thermal Power Station.

The case centers on a contract for 38 million patacas that was awarded directly to the company for a six-month project, which came on the heels of a previous contract worth 50 million patacas, itself secured by the same firm between March and August of 2014.

Prosecutors alleged that the contract awards were tainted by bribery, with several gifts exchanged among the defendants.

Initially acquitted in 2021 alongside two other former officials, Vong’s case was reopened after the Public Prosecutions Office appealed the decision.

The head of department was also given a sentence of a year and a half, while the head of division was sentenced to two years.

The Court of Second Instance (TSI) has now upheld the convictions of all three officials involved, with the head of department also receiving an 18-month sentence, while the head of division faces two years in prison.