CE says central gov’t ‘did not interfere’ in MP corruption case

MSAR Chief Executive (CE), Mr Chui Sai On, has said that China’s Central Government did not interfere in the investigation and arrest of the former Public Prosecutor General, Ho Chio Meng.
Speaking to journalists at the Macau International Airport yesterday morning, prior to his departure for Beijing to attend the opening of the National People’s Congress (NPC), Chui said: “The central government never gave us any instructions, we always follow these matters by our law. During the process we completed our investigation with our means and after the Commission Against Corruption found “strong evidence” and delivered the case to the Public Prosecutions Office, we reported that to the Central Government,” adding that “in this case we are not going to make any other reports [to the Central Government].”
Chui concluded by saying: “I regret that a former Prosecutor General is under suspicion and that other cases have also occurred with other heads of public offices in the last 10 years but I recall there were people investigated that were proven to be innocent in other cases so I must reiterate that according to our Basic Law our judicial independence is a very important matter. We have to respect the work of these departments as well as the presumption of innocence of the suspects before a final judgment.”
Regarding his visit to Beijing to attend the NPC, Mr Chui, stated that besides his participation in the inauguration ceremony of the NPC meeting, he intends to have meetings with some of the Guangdong province leaders in order to “foresee the future of the region as well as forms of cooperation.”