Commission Against Corruption, Macao SAR

The CCAC has detected a case of document forgery and fraud over government subsidies involving the president of board of directors of a local research association (who is also an associate professor of a local tertiary institution). He has allegedly submitted false information in attempt to defraud over government subsidies. The case was referred to the Public Prosecutions Office today (22nd August).

It is discovered in the investigation that the research association applied for subsidies for a seminar on gambling held in the later half of 2012 from some government departments including the Macao Foundation, the Social Welfare Bureau, the Economic Service and the tertiary institution that the suspect is working for and the subsidies were granted finally. Moreover, the suspect also solicited sponsorship from five gaming companies and thus received an amount totaling MOP300,000. The incomes, including registration fees paid by participants, subsidies and sponsorships from government departments and gaming companies, totaled MOP730,000 approximately, while the actual spending only amounted to around MOP470,000. In other words, there was a balance of over MOP260,000.

However, in the report of the activity submitted to the Macao Foundation and the Social Welfare Bureau afterwards under Order no. 54/GM/97 of 9th January, the suspect falsely claimed that the association had received only MOP60,000 from gaming companies for sponsorship, as a result, a deficit of over MOP4,600 was recorded.

The CCAC investigators heard testimony from a number of people as well as gathered the documents and information about the applications for subsidies and sponsorship from the relevant public departments and gaming companies, meeting minutes, bank accounts and Paypal account of the association. Thus it is found that the suspect has embezzled MOP240,000 balance of the sponsorship as well as made false statement to the Macao Foundation and the Social Welfare Bureau in order not to return the subsidies to the government departments, constituting offences of document forgery and fraud.