The former director of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) office in Beijing, Kang Wei, was sentenced yesterday by the Court of the First Instance (TJB) to 30 months’ imprisonment after having been found guilty of embezzlement charges, All About Macau has reported.
Kang was found guilty on five counts of misappropriating government funds during her tenure from 2015 to 2017.
Due to the relatively small amounts involved, and because the defendant was a first-time offender, the sentence was suspended for a period of three years.
The case came to light after complaints received by the Commission Against Corruption in 2018 stating that the director of the MSAR Office was suspected of committing several illegal acts during her tenure.
Kang always denied the accusations, protesting her innocence in the case.
One of the allegations which the TJB considers to be proven, is that Kang was unlawfully receiving a housing allowance for a non-existent rental home. In actuality, she lived in her office premises, where she installed several amenities and appliances on own initiative.
She was also found guilty of abusing office resources, such as using her official car and driver to carry relatives and friends to make scenic tours in Beijing and using public funds to cover accommodation and food and beverage expenses on holiday trips and at private events.
Although the loss to the public purse was only a couple of thousand patacas, the judge noted that the consequences of her actions are more serious than just the monetary loss. The judge asserted that her behavior harmed the image of integrity of the MSAR government and its official representation in the capital city.
