Ao Man Long
The Public Prosecutions Office (MP) has recovered more than HKD80 million from former Secretary for Transport and Public Works Ao Man Long’s remaining illegal holdings in Hong Kong and on December 5 deposited the full amount into the MSAR government’s accounts.
The prosecutor’s office announced yesterday that it has recovered more than HKD360 million since 2009 from Ao’s illegal bank savings in various bank accounts opened in Hong Kong under the names of his reletives and himself, as well as their companies.
Ao Man Long was sentenced by the Court of Final Appeal to 28 and a half years in prison for corruption, money laundering and unjustified wealth, and confiscated illicit goods.
As a joint effort of the local government and the MP, as well as judiciary and law enforcement agencies in Macau, authorities launched a set of measures to ensure that they would be able to freeze and recover Ao Man Long’s assets dispersed abroad, the MP said in a statement.
At present, authorities have successfully recovered approximately HDK440 million deposited in his name, the company, or the former Secretary’s relatives, Xinhua reported.
On December 2006, Ao Man Long was arrested on suspicion of massive bribery and money laudering, among other charges. In January 2008, Ao was sentenced to 27 years in prison for 57 counts of charges including bribery, money laudering and abuse of power. In April 2009, the former secretary was yet again accused of taking bribes, money laudering activities and abuse of power, being sentenced to one year and six months in prison for the additional 24 counts.
In May 2012, the Court of Final Appeal held a third public hearing on Ao’s corruption case, where it ruled that he committed six crimes of bribery and three of money laudering. Combining the first two stages of his trial and respective sentence, Ao was sentenced to 28 and a half years in prison. BY/CP
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