Commission Against Corruption, Macao SAR

The CCAC received a report from the Commission of Audit concerning suspected untrue situations in the subsidised courses organised by a local education institution under the “Continuing Education Development Plan”. Following an investigation, the CCAC believed there were indications that the two persons-in-charge of the education institution had allegedly colluded with more than 40 residents to defraud subsidies from the aforesaid plan involving an amount exceeding MOP200,000.

The investigation revealed that, between July 2024 and July of the following year, the aforesaid education institution launched multiple courses subsidised by the 2023-2026 “Continuing Education Development Plan”. The two persons-in-charge offered a cash reward equivalent to half of the total tuition fee to induce over 40 people to enrol. Some even took the identity cards of their family members without authorisation and signed up on their behalf in order to obtain the case reward.

After investigation, it was found that more than half of the residents did not attend any lessons. The two aforesaid persons-in-charge had also stated to the enrolled residents that they did not need to really attend the lessons and that only when the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) carried out inspections were they required to go to the classrooms in order to respond to the supervision of the DSEDJ.

The two aforesaid persons-in-charge of the education institution and more than 40 residents allegedly committed fraud and use of someone else’s identification document under the Penal Code and computer forgery under the Law on Combatting Computer Crimes. The case has been referred to the Public Prosecutions Office for follow-up. The CCAC reiterates that the responsible department should effectively implement and carry out supervisory measures while residents should not take risks out of greed.