Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng (left), leaves federal court with his attorney Ben Brafman after he was released on bail in connection with a U.N. bribery scheme in New York, on Oct. 26, 2015
Officials in the U.S. are investigating a Beijing businessman who they suspect might be operating as a Chinese intelligence agent linked to Macau billionaire Ng Lap Seng. The latest information on the case comes from the transcript of an FBI interview filed in court earlier this month.
Ng is currently standing trial in New York on allegations that he fueled a bribery scandal incriminating the recently deceased former General Assembly president, John Ashe, in return for the sponsorship of a UN conference center in Macau that would serve as the billionaire’s legacy.
Last year, when Ng was arrested and confined to his New York City apartment after a USD50 million (about MOP400 million) bail, he was asked by FBI agents whether he knew if his business associate Qin Fei was in any way involved with Chinese intelligence services. Ng said he did not know, admitting only that Qin was a consultant at his company, Sun Kian Ip Group.
Qin had been traveling with Ng when the latter was arrested last year, but subsequently returned to China, according to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article.
However, prosecutors believe the links go deeper than Ng suggests. They suspect that Qin was involved in directing Ng’s activities in the U.S., acting as his “handler,” and frequently traveling with the casino magnate on his trips to the country.
According to the WSJ article, people with information on the matter claim that Qin, the suspected agent, is a mysterious individual.
“Qin has emerged as a shadowy figure in the case, according to people familiar with the matter, and little is known about him. People who live near a Long Island mansion, which public records indicate he bought almost two years ago, say they have never seen him [there], with one person saying [Qin] hasn’t even removed the cover from the fountain in his front yard,” the report read.
Furthermore, the WSJ reported that the suspected Chinese agent treated Ng as a subordinate despite the fact that he is older than Qin. The suspected agent is believed to be 54-years-old, while Ng is 68, according to a U.S. government document.
“Qin would direct Mr. Ng to fly his private jet from the Chinese gambling haven of Macau to Beijing to pick him up for trips to the U.S., order Mr. Ng to carry his luggage, and complain that he walked too slowly,” the WSJ cited an informant.
Little public information exists on Qin even in China. Corporate records list him as the partial owner of a Beijing-
based company, which was set up in 2000 with a registered capital of RMB50 million (MOP 60.3 million) and seven employees. Ng is registered as the company’s legal representative.
Ng and his assistant Jeff Yin were both arrested in the U.S. last year, on charges that they had made false statements about the purpose of USD4.5 million (MOP36 million) brought into the country from China, which the casino mogul had initially stated was to be used for gambling, real estate purposes, and for purchasing art and antiques.
According to prosecutors, it may have instead been used to renovate the house of “Business Associate-2”, who may have been Qin, who at that time was looking to renovate his USD10 million (MOP80 million) Long Island mansion, according to a Reuters report on Friday.
Additionally, the Macau billionaire is being accused of being involved in a UN bribery scheme, which allegedly involves staff at the highest tiers of the international organization, as well as multiple departments such as the recently revealed United Nations Development Program.
His company has been tied to a USD1.5 million (MOP12 million) donation to the UN Office for South-South Cooperation, which focuses on promoting collaboration among developing countries, particularly in the southern hemisphere.
Most infamously however, Ng is accused of giving former General Assembly president John Ashe over USD500,000 (almost MOP4 million) in exchange for, among other things, a conference center that his company would develop.
Ashe died in June awaiting trial, due to physical injuries during a weightlifting accident. The official cause of death was “traumatic asphyxia […] while lifting a barbell on a bench.”
Meanwhile, Ng’s lawyers have alleged in court papers that the investigation into the Macau billionaire is being inappropriately piloted by a state-sanctioned “U.S. geopolitical interest in slowing the progress of Chinese influence over developing nations.”
The Clinton-China affair
Ng Lap Seng with Bill Clinton in Washington (1996)
The relationship between the Clintons, China and prominent Chinese businessman Ng Lap Seng is one that dates back decades, with the latter allegedly involved in misconduct that occurred during the presidential administration of Bill Clinton.
Macau billionaire Ng was famously involved in a fundraising scandal in the 1990s, involving the Democratic presidential campaign of Bill Clinton.
He was the alleged secret source of foreign money in a campaign scandal during the Clinton administration, that was channeled through an Arkansas restaurant owner, Charlie Trie, to the Democratic National Committee.
Trie, a friend of then-president Bill Clinton, became acquainted with Ng in 1994, before making a USD100,000 donation later in the year, even though he had never made any comparable contribution before and had no apparent wealth. In total, more than USD1 million was funneled through Trie, allegedly backed by Ng’s finances.
Ng, who has close ties to the Chinese government and is listed as a member of a senior advisory group, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was not charged with a crime during the investigation.
Meanwhile, Trie, an American citizen, pleaded guilty to violating U.S. campaign financing regulations.
The link between the Clintons and Ng is also highlighted by the fact that the Chinese businessman visited the White House 10 times over a two-year period between June 1994 and October 1996. DB
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