Briefs | Man apprehended for involvement in 13 million patacas fraud

The Judiciary Police (PJ) has apprehended a mainland man suspected of fraud in a case involving 13 million patacas. Last week, the PJ cracked down on a sex scam in which a local man lost over 10 million patacas through his purchase of game point cards under the instructions of a group of criminals. The PJ first identified and apprehended two local residents: one man and one woman. Yesterday, another suspect, a 30-year-old mainland man, was detained for his alleged involvement in the same case. Police officers found HKD2.4 million in cash in his possession. The suspect claimed that the money was from his gambling gains. However, the police department believes that the cash includes some of the money the group had coerced from the victim.

Acting director appointed to Macau’s Taipei office

The Chief Executive has appointed a new head to the Macau Economy and Cultural Office in Taipei, according to an executive decree published in the government’s Official Gazette. The new director, Lam Chi I, will replace Ho Weng Wai. Ho started serving in the position in 2018, with her term renewed for two years in 2019. Ho’s departure from the position comes one year early. She will officially step down from the office on September 26. As of today, the SAR government is only appointing Lam as acting director.

Covid-19 causes Macau’s demand for Zhuhai residency to grow tenfold

The outbreak of Covid-19 has resulted in a tenfold increase in the number of Macau residents’ applications for Zhuhai residency, according to a report by Macao Daily News. As of the end of last month, a total of 61,000 Macau people had applied to the Zhuhai government to become a citizen of the mainland city. Approximately 90% of the applicants submitted their requests only after the outbreak of Covid-19 and especially after Guangdong government had implemented a policy requiring everyone arriving in Mainland China from abroad to undertake a Covid-19 test. Between the beginning of April and the end of May, nearly 2,000 Macau residents made applications on a daily basis. Some 40% of these Macau residents applied at Zhuhai’s police stations in Gongbei. The number of applications received by Hengqin district recorded the most rapid growth.