Graft buster found no illegality in government’s Pearl Horizon proposal

After investigation, the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) considers that the SAR Government has established special provisions in the previously passed replacement housing legal regime to allow pre-sale buyers affected by forfeiture of land concessions to purchase replacement housing units.
The CCAC concluded that the Government also tried to solve the Pearl Horizon problems by letting the concerned pre-sale buyers purchase replacement housing units. The commission believes that there has been no illegality or administrative fault in this regard.
The Administrative Court of Macau announced in its ruling this July the confirmation that there were no debtor-creditor relationships between the SAR Government and the pre-sale buyers.
After analysis of the relevant information, the CCAC believes that the SAR Government has given practical responses to the demands of the pre-sale buyers through the relevant legal regime and the replacement housing unit application arrangement.
Taking into account the fact that some of the pre-sale buyers of Pearl Horizon purchased more than one pre-sale, and some even purchased over ten pre-sales, if there is no restriction on the number of the replacement housing units that they may apply for, the replacement housing regime will go against its legislative intent and the Government’s original intention to take care of the pre-sale buyers’ needs for purchase of housing and improving their living environment.
The CCAC considered that the regime stipulates each couple may apply for only one replacement housing unit. The conclusion is legal and reasonable and therefore shall be respected and followed.
The pre-sale buyers concerned shall bear the consequence of not registering the pre-sales they purchased. That they did not understand the law or “the property agencies did not fulfil the responsibility to inform them” should not be an excuse for not complying with the provisions under the replacement housing regime.
Moreover, the planning and building of replacement housing units are ongoing. Therefore, it is legally and literally impossible to continue the original development project of Pearl Horizon on Parcel P.
Following the investigation, no circumstances of illegality or faulty administration related to the issues in the complaint have been found. Therefore, the CCAC has shelved the complaint. JZ