Commission Against Corruption, Macao SAR

The newly amended Legal Regime of Declaration of Assets and Interests will come into effect on 22^nd April 2013. The CCAC hereby announces that individuals who are liable for declaration must submit the new forms, which are downloadable from 22^nd March (tomorrow) at the website of the CCAC (www.ccac.org.mo).

To further improve the existing asset declaration system, increase the transparency and openness of public administration, enhance the supervisory mechanism and to fulfill the obligations defined by the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the Macao SAR government put forward a bill to revise Law no.11/2003 (Declaration of Incomes and Properties). Having been passed unanimously by the Legislative Council on 3^rd January 2013 and renamed as Legal Regime of Declaration of Assets and Interests, the new law will enter into force on 22^nd April.

According to the law, individuals liable to declare their assets and interests must use the new forms starting from 22^nd March 2013. The electronic forms will be downloadable from 22^nd March. Declarants must be noted that only single-sided original copies or photocopies will be acceptable, so that information on the declaration forms will receive due protection in the handling process.

When it comes to the old version of the declaration forms, for those declarants whose duty for declaration occurs before 22^nd April 2013 and are already provided with the old version of declaration forms, if they choose to fill in such declaration forms, they must submit the forms not later than 19^th April 2013. However, exemption can be given to those declarants whose declaration period ends on 20^th or 21^st April 2013. In this case, the declarants may still choose to fill in the old version of declaration forms and submit them on 22^nd April 2013 at the latest.

Moreover, the disclosure of assets and outside positions of some officials is also introduced in the new law. It is stipulated that officials with the ranking of deputy director or above, including the Chief Executive and principal officials, legislative members, judges and public prosecutors, Executive Council members, Chiefs of Cabinets, directors, deputy directors or holders of equivalent position, should submit Part 1 and Part 4 of the declaration form between the effective date of the law and 18^th October 2013.

The regime of declaration of incomes and properties for public servants has been implemented since 1988. It is stipulated that holders of public positions and staff of public administration must declare his/her assets and his/her spouse's. The declaration forms of all holders of public positions and staff of the CCAC shall be submitted to the Office of the Court of Final Appeal, while the Division for Declaration of Assets and Interests of the CCAC is responsible to receive the declarations of the remaining staff of public administration.