Ho Chio Meng (second from right, front row) pictured at the opening ceremony for the 2014 legal year
At least six people were detained on Friday in connection with a suspected case of corruption under investigation by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC). One of them was the former Prosecutor General of the Public Prosecutions Office, Ho Chio Meng.
Ho Chio Meng had been the region’s top prosecutor after the handover until 2014, when he was replaced and became deputy prosecutor. In February 2015, he was appointed as coordinator of the Committee on Criminal and Legal Studies, the major roles of which are to monitor the development of legal and judicial reforms on criminal matters, and to propose related suggestions and revisions. Ho Chio Meng has on several occasions been considered a potential candidate for the position of Chief Executive, a possibility that he never denied.
During a press conference held yesterday at the CCAC, Commissioner André Cheong said that five of the people involved in the suspected corruption case are “the former prosecutor [Ho Chio Meng], the former prosecutor’s chief of cabinet [António Lai], one office advisor and several local entrepreneurs. From the local entrepreneurs [who hail from about ten different companies], two of them are family members of the former head of the Public Prosecutions Office (MP).”
The head of CCAC also confirmed that the case concerns offences of “fraud,” “unlawful economic advantage,” “abuse of power,” and ”document forgery” relating to “renovation and maintenance work and acquiring of goods and services.” These were allegedly directly granted, without a public tender, to certain private companies worth a total amount of over MOP167 million with at least MOP44 million returned in favor of the suspects.
“Similarities can be seen between this case and others previously found by the CCAC, where people who have the capacity to exercise power and make decisions have justified the direct awarding of contracts to a certain company that may be owned by people they know or may even be their own, based on urgency to conduct those works or hire the services. Most of the time, those companies are just shell companies that then subcontract other companies to perform the work or provide the services, thereby avoiding the public tender process,” André Cheong said.
The same source commented that, “during these ten years [2004 to 2014], these companies have been able to secure all the work and services from the MP. Even when the public tenders were assessed, the tenders were also granted to the same two or three companies. And there are cases where the same renovation work was granted more than once.”
According to information, CCAC investigations surrounding the case have been ongoing since last year and initially resulted from a complaint from the MP.
“The case was discovered internally [in MP] last year and as there was evidence of crime, this was communicated to the CCAC and sparked the investigation,” Mr Cheong said, adding that “the MP supported and collaborated with the investigations” throughout the
entire investigation, “which was run by the CCAC independently.”
Answering questions from journalists, Cheong assured the public that the case is only related to the hiring of services and building and related work, and is not linked to the exercise of any judicial powers.
“This case has to do with the former leadership and management staff of MP and does not involve other people, especially other magistrates. It also does not involve the exercising of the judicial powers of the MP,” Cheong said.
Questioned again by journalists at the press conference, Cheong revealed that he has explained the case to the Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, who told him to “handle the case according to the law.”
Measures including the detention of the former public prosecutor Ho Chio Meng, have been enforced by the MP, which has also enforced restrictions upon another four suspects, forbidding them from departing the territory, as well as suspending an unidentified number of people from public duties.
There were many questions left unanswered during the press conference due to the fact that the investigation is “still ongoing” as explained by the CCAC, who are not dismissing the possibility of finding “more suspects and related cases.”
André Cheong also said “this case will definitely undermine the credibility of the MSAR.”
questions sent to mp left unanswered
The fact that the coordinator of the Committee on Criminal and Legal Studies, Ho Chio Meng, has not been seen in public for the past year, or attending ceremonies such as that held for the opening of the judicial year, led the Times to inquire about his whereabouts. A message sent on August 26 to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) was left unanswered. In September 24 we insisted that a response be forthcoming, stressing that the matter “was of public interest.” Once again, the MP did not reply.
ao man long case helped to improve the system
During a press conference held yesterday regarding the case that led to the arrest of Ho Chio Meng, the head of the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC), André Cheong, said: “Since the establishment of the MSAR, the development of integrity and honesty at the administrative level has been afforded big steps forward. The Ao Man Long case allowed the improvement of the whole system of integrity and honesty.” Cheong then added that “the government of the MSAR has been publishing several laws and regulations to reinforce the efforts against corruption.”
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