Bribery to be included among cases that allow wiretapping

The use of wiretapping during the investigation of certain kinds of crimes, should include those involving bribery, according to a suggestion made by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) during the public consultation for the amendments to the communication interception law.

The suggestion was well received by the authorities, who proposed to accept it and thereby broaden the types of crimes that may warrant wiretapping.

The acknowledgment was made through the publication yesterday of the report on the opinions on the public consultation that took place last year from September 26 to November 9.

Another change instigated by the government, which was said to follow from a lack of consensus among the public, concerned the dismissal of a proposed measure that would have allowed judges to order the inspection of the data from a suspect’s communication devices. This measure has been removed from the final version of the bill.

The report also notes that the government is considering the needs and fairness in establishing a compensatory system in cases related with illegal interception of communications, proposing to increase the sanctions of such actions in order to have a deterrent effect and consequently, protect the freedom of citizens and the privacy of their communications.

One of the previously requested measures by several organizations and groups has also been accepted by the government. This measure states that statistical data on the number of communications intercepted and the purpose for such interception would be published regularly.
According to a statement by the Judiciary Police, the public consultation consisted of a total of 4,315 opinions collected from the public, as well as others from specific sector organizations, including the Macau Lawyers Association, telecommunication operators, and several government departments such as the CCAC and the Personal Data Protection Bureau.