CCAC denies selective enforcement on election bribery case

The Commissioner Against Corruption (CCAC), Andre Cheong, told media last Friday that “there was no selective law enforcement” in the Commission’s investigation into an alleged bribery case in the last Legislative Assembly (AL) election, which involved lawmaker Chan Meng Kam’s campaign team.
Cheong stated “the CCAC has always upheld equal treatment, [be it] the electoral-bribery case or any other cases.” He refused to comment on the specific case as an appeal has already been lodged. However, he stressed that the commission would investigate all allegations that show signs of crime, and would not lodge an appeal through the Public Prosecutions Office without sufficient evidence and the possibility of a conviction.
The Macau Institution of People’s Alliance led by Cham Meng Kam secured three seats in the 2013 AL election, emerging as the biggest winner. Responding to the recent court verdict that ruled two elderly campaign staffers guilty of buying votes, the association condemned the authorities for selective law enforcement with political intent.
As for the group’s accusation that the law enforcer violated the law by using undercover inspectors to collect evidence for the allegation, Andre Cheong responded by explaining that, “undercover operations are not a very clear concept in Macau law; what’s considered an illegal act is someone instigating others to commit a crime. Moreover, the judicial authorities would not accept the evidence if it were unacceptable and illegal. The evidence must have gone through investigation before going to court.”