IPIM president and other officials under probe for corruption

Jackson Chang

The president of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Jackson Chang, as well as two other high ranking officials are under criminal investigation for alleged irregularities regarding the unlawful granting of residency statuses through an investment scheme, the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) announced on Friday.

According to a statement from the CCAC, “the president of theBoard of Directors and a member of the Executive Committee of the IPIM, together with a department chief of the Pension Fund (a former chief of the IPIM’s Residency Application and Legal Affairs Division), were transferred to the judiciary, owing to their alleged commission of duty-related crimes in the process of vetting and approving the applications for immovable investment immigration, major investment immigration and technical immigration.”

The corruption watchdog also noted in the statement that all suspects involved in the case have been targeted with compulsory measures that include their suspension from their positions and are restricted from leaving the region.

TDM Radio, citing sources in Chinese local media, reported that the aforementioned member of the Executive Committee of the IPIM is Gloria Batalha Ung, a member since March 2015. In May this year, Ung assumed the role of Deputy Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and the Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Macau).

TDM also reported that the last of the officials under investigation is Miguel Ian, currently the Chief of Department of the Macau Pension Fund, a position that he has held since 2012.

On Friday, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong, announced that the three suspects would also face disciplinary procedures within the administration.

In a statement, he noted that he “profoundly regrets” the incident, noting also that the government, “has this [case] in high consideration,” and that his office has been cooperating with the CCAC in the investigations.

Additionally, Chief Executive Chui Sai On promised “full cooperation with the judicial authorities,” noting that the government will treat the cases with “zero tolerance for corruption among public servants.”

Secretary for Administration and Justice Sonia Chan commented on the case while exiting Friday’s meeting of the Legislative Assembly Standing Committee, saying that legal consultants are currently analyzing the Statute of the Personnel of the IPIM in order to be able to do the follow up on the case.

“The IPIM has a private statute of personnel [different from other public departments] and so the legal consultants of the Pension Fund are currently analyzing it in order to understand how to proceed with a follow up on the case,” the Secretary said, adding that the outcome of this process should be public in one or two [working] days and promising to make the conclusions public as soon as she has them.  PC/RM