Commission Against Corruption, Macao SAR

The Court of First Instance today (10th January) re-adjudicated a CCAC-investigated case of embezzlement, defrauding and document forging by civil servants. The two defendants involved in the case, Ieong Chan Lam and Victor Manuel Leal Almeida, forged quotation sheets and receipts for construction projects to swindle money when they were holding the positions of Head of Engineering Department and General Manager at Macao Slaughterhouse. The case was adjudicated on 9th January 2004 and the two defendants were convicted of public fund embezzlement. Victor Manuel Leal Almeida, the main convict, was sentenced to 3 years' imprisonment with a suspension of 3 years. Ieong Chan Lam, the fellow convict, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment with a suspension of 2 years. They were acquitted of the charges of defrauding and document forging.

After the case was adjudicated last year, the first accused, Ieong Chan Lam, appealed against the conviction. The Collective Court then restarted the screening procedure and thoroughly analyzed all the testimonies and proofs. The Court of First Instance made the conviction today. Ieong Chan Lam was convicted of public fund embezzlement and document forging and was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months' imprisonment, while Victor Manuel Leal Almeida was convicted of public fund embezzlement and was sentenced to 3 years' imprisonment. The court even announced that no suspension of imprisonment was allowed for the two accused and they had to compensate for the losses suffered by the Slaughterhouse in the case.

The case occurred between 1997 and 1999. The two accused took advantage of their positions to forge the quotation sheets and receipts for three construction projects and swindled over MOP90,000 from Macao Slaughterhouse. After investigating and collecting evidence, the CCAC referred the case to the Public Prosecutions Office in December 2001.