Commission Against Corruption, Macao SAR

In 2025, the CCAC received a complaint alleging that incorrectly marked parking spaces had appeared on Travessa de Lam Mau after roadworks, leading the complainant to mistakenly believe that new parking spaces had been added and park his vehicle there, which resulted in incorrect law enforcement action by a traffic police officer.

Upon investigation, it was found that a traffic police officer witnessed the complainant’s car being parked within the no-parking zone during a patrol at Travessa de Lam Mau. Although there were newly painted parking space markings on the ground, considering that the markings lacked any numbers and fell within the no-parking zone, the officer issued a summons. The complainant then filed a defence with the Public Security Police Force (CPSP) and also filed complaints with the Transport Bureau (DSAT) and the CCAC.

Upon receiving the complaint, the DSAT deployed personnel to conduct site inspection and found that while a no-parking sign was in place, the markings outside the roadworks area were indeed abnormal. The Bureau immediately corrected the errors and sent a letter to the CPSP about the situations regarding incorrect markings and the corrections made.

Upon a comprehensive analysis of the written defence by the complainant, the on-site situation on that day, the official letter from the DSAT and relevant legal provisions, the CPSP considered that the relevant no-parking sign had not been complemented with broken yellow lines to indicate the extent of its effectiveness. In addition, the location where the complainant parked his car was not subject to the relevant sign then and it did not obstruct the passage of other vehicles. Therefore, the CPSP decided not to penalise the complainant.

The CCAC believes that, in this case, the practice of a proper response to the demand of residents, proactive follow-up actions upon receipt of the complaint, direct communication and coordination and rectification of errors by the Public Administration deserved affirmation. Moreover, when residents face procedures of penalties, they should also make good use of the mechanisms of defence, complaints and administrative appeal and provide reasonable grounds and information to safeguard their own legitimate rights and interests.