Commission Against Corruption, Macao SAR

Translated from Macao Daily, 2006/2/25, page C7

Court Dismissed Appeal of Senior Officials of Former Municipal Council against Conviction of Abusing Office

The Court of Second Instance concluded on Thursday (23 February) the appeal of the senior officials of Former Municipal Council against conviction of abusing office. One of the appellants, Ant辆nio Manuel dos Santos, guilty of 6 charges of abusing his office, was acquitted of 1 charge after appeal but remained guilty of the other 5 charges. He was sentenced to a two-year-and-ten-month imprisonment, suspended for three and a half year, with a fine of MOP100,000. The court dismissed the appeals of the other appellant Marcelo In赔cio dos Rem赌dios and remained the verdict of guilty to the 5 charges of abusing office. His sentence of two-and-a-half-year imprisonment with three and a half year suspension and a fine of MOP100,000 remained unchanged.

The court heard that the three accused, Ant辆nio Manuel dos Santos, Marcelo In赔cio dos Rem赌dios and Ant辆nio Sio, had abused their office over the process of awarding contracts of purchasing goods/services and of construction projects during their term of office as officials in the former Municipal Council of Macao, favoring and awarding contracts to one of the bidding companies, a shareholder of which was the brother-in-law of the accused Ant辆nio Manuel dos Santos. Investigation was commenced by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) in 1999 and was transferred to the Public Prosecutions in 2002.

The Court of First Instance commenced trial on 11 October 2004. During the trial, the CCAC investigators, Vice-President, President, members of the Executive Committee of the former Municipal Council, staff who participated in the involved construction projects and heads of the bidding companies were asked to testify in court.

The trial was concluded on 3 December 2004. The court ruled that Ant辆nio Manuel dos Santos, the full-time member of the Executive Committee of the former Municipal Council, was guilty of six counts of abusing office. Marcelo In赔cio dos Rem赌dios, Deputy Director of the former Municipal Council, was found guilty on five counts of abusing office whereas Ant辆nio Sio, Vice President of the Executive Committee of the former Municipal Council, was found not guilty due to lack of evidence.