Commission Against Corruption, Macao SAR

The CCAC has detected a case involving a Macao Prison staff allegedly committing offences of receiving bribes to carry out illegal acts. A civil servant surnamed Sio, who is working in the Macao Prison, has allegedly taken advantage of his/her position to smuggle mobiles into the prison for inmates to use.

Based on the intelligence obtained, the CCAC carried out an operation in the evening on 10^th April 2013 and caught a prison staff surnamed Sio after in-depth investigation and deployment. During a frisk Sio was found to have a receipt for purchasing mobiles and a mobile-list-to-buy. With other evidence in hand, Sio was suspected to have long received benefits and many times took advantage of his/her position to smuggle contraband into the prison for inmates. The behaviour has allegedly constituted offences of receiving bribes to carry out illegal acts.

During the process of investigation, the CCAC staff were sent to different locations to carry out searches and seizures, including the apartment of the mentioned civil servant. Later on, the CCAC has also contacted numerous people involving the case and has obtained some important evidence.

It is acquired after investigation that an inmate is suspected to be the mastermind of the crime syndicate, had been communicating with other parties through phone calls for a long period and had different people deposit money into designated "ball game betting accounts". Later on, the inmate arranged another group of people to withdraw the money from those accounts. Relevant cash would somehow get to Sio in complicated ways eventually.

With the assistance of the Macao Prison, the CCAC conducted an operation on 11^th April, during which a number of crucial evidence was found from the prison cells and inquiry of some inmates were carried out. Evidence showed that the said mastermind, after getting the mobiles from Sio, re-sold the mobile phones to other inmates at prices which were 8 to 10 times higher than the market price. The crime syndicate has been handling money transactions and phones by highly secreted, organised means for a long time and in circuitous ways. .

During the investigation, someone confessed of accepting pecuniary interests for a long time to purchase mobile phones upon the requests of the inmates and smuggled them into the prison by taking advantage of his/her position. The CCAC will continue to follow up the case and does not rule out the possibility of other persons involving in the organised crime of offering bribes.