Security and sociocultural sectors dominate CCAC public-sector case list at over 60%

Cases handled by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) in the security and sociocultural sectors accounted for more than 60% of all public-sector cases filed last year, excluding election-related matters.

Macau’s corruption watchdog published its annual report for the previous year yesterday, recording a total of 427 cases filed. Of these, the Anti-Corruption Bureau registered 191 criminal complaints and initiated 221 cases overall.

Notably, cases pertaining to the security and sociocultural sectors constituted more than 60% of all cases filed in the public sector, which amounted to 109 cases. The report noted that “it is necessary to strengthen integrity education for relevant public officials.”

The CCAC annual report disclosed summaries of several anti-corruption investigations, including two cases involving officers of the Public Security Police Force (PSP). In one case, a deputy inspector was found to have fraudulently obtained family subsidies exceeding MOP140,000 through the submission of false information.

In another case, a police officer was suspected of engaging in long-term sick leave fraud. During periods of sick leave, the officer left Macau to dine in mainland China, participated in bowling competitions and training sessions – winning prizes on multiple occasions – and also rode a heavy motorcycle and took a heavy goods vehicle driving test. These activities were inconsistent with his claimed medical condition.

The officer is alleged to have defrauded nearly MOP900,000 in paid sick leave over a period of nearly four years from 2015 to 2019 following an on-duty accident.

The annual report further documented a case involving an officer from the Fire Services Bureau (CB), who was accused of leaving Macau without following proper declaration procedures. Between December 2023 and May 2024, the officer departed Macau on two occasions during duty hours or scheduled overtime periods, and on three separate occasions left the station for more than one hour before returning to clock out, falsely representing the time as overtime work.

The Commissioner Against Corruption, Ao Ieong Seong, has submitted the authority’s annual report to Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai.

The report indicated that the Ombudsman Bureau registered 172 cases, with public-sector operations and personnel management accounting for nearly 40% of the total caseload.

One case involved a supervisor at the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) who, taking advantage of his discretion to arrange external work, repeatedly left his post without authorization to handle personal matters and return to his residence. In addition to falsifying work items and locations, he also generated multiple false work reports on the department’s computer system to misrepresent his attendance.

Widespread vote-buying and forgery in AL election

Among the 427 cases filed last year, 30 were related to the eighth Legislative Assembly election, with five cases already referred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), according to the report. Election monitoring statistics showed that during the entire election period, a total of 153 complaints were received, leading to 30 cases being opened. As of December 31, investigations had been concluded in 28 cases, of which five were transferred to prosecutors, and one involved a minor offense, the report added.

According to the CCAC’s annual report, more than 50 individuals were referred to the Public Prosecutions Office on suspicion of vote-buying and document forgery. Offences documented included the exchange of nomination forms for monetary rewards and unauthorized campaigning on election day.

In one case, a construction company manager allegedly instructed a subordinate to collect nomination forms, offering MOP1,000 to each signatory. The subordinate, however, paid only MOP500 to each signatory, thereby retaining MOP500 per signature.

The subordinate further enlisted several associates to solicit nomination forms through cash incentives, while some suspects forged signatures to produce fraudulent nomination forms. In a separate case, a suspect allegedly promised financial benefits and employment to induce a voter to sign a nomination form. The voter, motivated by financial gain, not only provided their own nomination form but also forged relatives’ signatures to create additional forms.

The report also noted that hundreds of individuals were found to have used social media messaging applications to campaign for designated candidate lists in multiple group chats, including sharing promotional materials and urging support for specific groups.