Police officers arrested in bribery case allowing entry of illegals

Three police officers have been arrested on suspicion of bribery in an operation conducted last Saturday. The officers are suspected of taking bribes to facilitate the entry of illegal immigrants in a scheme that a Judiciary Police (PJ) source said  involved a total sum of at least MOP39 million.

According to the same source, the three police officers were among a group of 11 people captured by the PJ in the Cotai area. The other detainees were illegals from mainland China and Taiwan.

Aside from the suspicions of bribery, the group is also accused of being members of a criminal organization involved in other crimes. A report from TDM Chinese Channel added that the PJ also found drugs and money in a hotel room where the alleged accomplices were lodging.

The same news source added the police officers, in addition to being offered sums of cash, were offered expensive alcohol and prostitutes.

The Office of the Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak reacted promptly with a statement which acknowledges the involvement of the officers, calling on from the police forces, namely the PJ, to discover the whole truth.

In the statement, the secretary expressed “surprise and deep regret to have acknowledged another case of criminal and abuse of power acts perpetrated by police officers,” adding that he had already instructed the Commander of the Public Security Police Force (PSP) to “immediately start disciplinary proceedings against the officer involved.”

Wong also remarked that such actions are “intolerable” and will be subjected to “heavy punishment,” urging leaders of the police forces leaders to continue to pursue improvement so that similar situations do not occur again, for the good of social stability in the region. RM

Forex reserves reach USD19.2 billion

Macau’s foreign exchange reserves reached MOP154.1 billion (USD19.24 billion) at the end of April, the region’s monetary watchdog said yesterday. The Monetary Authority of Macau announced that the preliminary estimate of MSAR’s foreign exchange reserves decreased by 0.6 percent  from the revised value of MOP155.1 billion (USD19.38 billion) for the end of March. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca dropped 0.45 points month-to-month but rose 3.68 points year-on-year to 108.6 points in April 2017, suggesting that overall, the exchange rate of the pataca declined against the currencies of Macau’s major trading partners on a monthly basis, but increased on an annual basis. 

Macau and Mongolia sign draft agreements

Macau and Mongolia have signed two draft agreements on criminal judicial cooperation following successful negotiations. The two draft agreements were signed by the director of the MSAR’s Department of Justice Affairs Liu Dexue, and Samdan Erdene, consul general of the Mongolian Consulate General to Hong Kong, last week. The two draft agreements cover elements such as the service of legal documents, obtaining of evidence, research, acquisition of criminal tools, and the handing over of sentenced persons. According to article 94 of the Basic Law of the MSAR, the two draft agreements will be sent to the central government for their authorization before they are officially signed.