The former Land, Public Works, and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) director, Li Canfeng, has been arrested on suspicion of corruption following an investigation by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC).
According to a statement from CCAC, the anti-corruption watchdog discovered during the course of the investigation into a suspected bribery case that the former DSSOPT leader had allegedly received several high-value benefits from business people, both directly and through family members. The CCAC links some of these transactions to Li’s abuse of his position, as they involve the illicit approval of several applications for construction work permits during his tenure.
The CCAC report does not mention Li by name, but does note that the case involves a former DSSOPT leader. According to the CCAC report, the investigation revealed that he had committed several unlawful acts in his role as director of DSSOPT to benefit people in the construction sector, by approving projects that did not meet the required conditions or else involved construction projects that had already expired.
Some legal requirements were ignored at Li’s direct order, allowing construction projects to proceed without having been submitted for discussion and approval by the Urban Planning Committee, among other irregularities.
The CCAC added that it had also found that at least one business person involved in the case had “allegedly assisted a relative of the former leader to falsely buy shares in a subsidiary of his group in the name of investment of a company, through which the relative applied for residency by major investment to the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, and the application was eventually approved,” CCAC noted.
There are additional allegations that Li unlawfully expedited certain processes for another businessperson to issue a license for a certain land plot before the expiration of its period for use in exchange for compensation.
Li stands accused of several crimes, including receiving bribes for illegal activity, money laundering, and document forgery, while the businesspersons and individuals involved have allegedly committed bribery, money laundering, and document forgery.
The CCAC noted that the investigation had led to the detention of the former director and two other suspects who had obtained the support and cooperation from the mainland authorities. Li, anticipating the results of the investigation, had fled to the mainland where he was caught and transferred to the custody of Macau authorities.
After being referred to the Public Prosecutions Office, the criminal investigation judge decided that the former director would await trial in preventive custody.
A total of eight suspects were interrogated by the judicial authorities in this case. Considering the seriousness of the facts and the considerably high value of the benefits and amounts involved, the judge applied, as coercive measures, the preventive detention of the abovementioned three suspects. The remaining five will need to present themselves to the authorities on a regular basis, cannot leave the city and are banned from contacting the other suspects.
The Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, refused to comment on Li’s case after arriving in Macau following a trip to Beijing, stating that it was not the right time to do so.
Nonetheless, Ho remarked that authorities can only act after “things have already happened” and “they did [act],” hinting that the supervision and inspection procedures conducted by the anti-corruption body have been effective.
Li was replaced as director of DSSOPT in mid-January 2020 by Chan Pou Ha.
Li had taken up his post as director of DSSOPT in late December 2014 after resigning six years earlier. He served as deputy director of DSSOPT between 1998 and 2008, during the leadership of former Secretary for Transport and Public Works Ao Man Long.
He resigned from the post less than one year after Ao’s trial and was one of the witnesses called to testify on the case. He had stated in court that he could not remember details related to the case.
