Four lose MOP1m in university admissions bribery scam

Four parents from mainland China sought to bribe a local university through a group of intermediaries in the hopes of purchasing admission for their children, but lost nearly MOP1 million in the process, the Judiciary Police (PJ) announced yesterday.
The police have identified each of the four intermediaries as suspects. The first suspect is surnamed Choi, a local 27-year-old man who reportedly works as a graphic designer. The second suspect is surnamed Cheong, a local 32-year-old woman who reportedly owns an investment company. The third is surnamed Tong, a local 33-year-old woman who reportedly is a managing director of an investment company. The fourth is surnamed Chan, a 27-year-old local woman who reportedly works as a cashier in the aforementioned investment company.
The case first came to the PJ’s attention in 2019. The four parents told the police that their children did not perform well in the central exam in mainland China, causing them to worry that their children might not be admitted to a local university.
During June and July 2019, they asked Cheong to bribe the local university’s management and were reportedly charged between MOP200,000 and MOP260,000 each to undertake this bribery.
When the four individuals took their children to register at the local university, they were told that the children had never been admitted.
After conversing with Cheong, who was reluctant to speak, the parents contacted the police.
Cheong, Tong and Chan confessed that they had no means of getting their children through to university. They also revealed that Choi is the mastermind behind the fraudulent admission scheme.
Choi fled Macau on August 4, 2019. Through the Interpol network, the police discovered the whereabouts of the suspect. He was arrested on Monday in mainland China and was immediately passed to the Macau authorities.
He admitted that he designed the fraudulent admission letters that were delivered to the four victims. AL