Macau's highest court sentenced a former minister to 27 years in jail yesterday for taking tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks, in the gambling enclave's largest corruption case.
Ao Man-long (
"The court ruled according to the law -- I think it was very just," Chief Executive Edmund Ho (
Ao was the highest level official ever sentenced for graft and his trial came as the former Portuguese territory tries to shrug off a reputation for organized crime and reinvent itself as holiday destination in the image of Las Vegas.
In recent years, Macau -- the only place in China where casino gambling is legal -- has drawn several high profile Las Vegas operators who have invested billions of dollars in building upscale casino resorts to attract China's newly rich. Ao was accused of handing some of those construction contracts to firms in return for kickbacks.
He stood as the three-judge panel delivered its verdict at the territory's highest court, before being escorted out of the packed courtroom by two security guards.
Judges accused Ao of "greed" and "shocking" behavior that had smeared the reputation of Macau and its government.
Ao's lawyer, Nuno Simoes, said the severity of the sentence meant they were entitled to an appeal.
Under Macanese law, Ao could have received a 30-year sentence.
He was tried in the territory's highest court, the Court of Final Appeal, because of his seniority. It was not clear which court would be allowed to hear any appeal in the case.
Ao, who was arrested in December 2006, denied any wrongdoing throughout the monthlong trial.
In a four-month investigation, anti-graft officials said they discovered assets worth about 800 million patacas (US$99.5 million), more than 57 times what Ao and his family could have earned over a seven-year period.
During sentencing the judges said assets worth 250 million patacas would be confiscated, as well as properties Ao bought in London, Macau and Hong Kong.
Investigators would also seek cooperation from the Virgin Islands where Ao set up companies with the intent to launder his ill-gotten gains, they said.
Some of Ao's family, including his father and wife, and four business associates also face a range of money-laundering charges linked to Ao's case, but in a separate trial.
Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has died of pneumonia at the age of 48 while on a trip to Japan, where she contracted influenza during the Lunar New Year holiday, her sister confirmed today through an agent. "Our whole family came to Japan for a trip, and my dearest and most kindhearted sister Barbie Hsu died of influenza-induced pneumonia and unfortunately left us," Hsu's sister and talk show hostess Dee Hsu (徐熙娣) said. "I was grateful to be her sister in this life and that we got to care for and spend time with each other. I will always be grateful to
REMINDER: Of the 6.78 million doses of flu vaccine Taiwan purchased for this flu season, about 200,000 are still available, an official said, following Big S’ death As news broke of the death of Taiwanese actress and singer Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), also known as Big S (大S), from severe flu complications, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and doctors yesterday urged people at high risk to get vaccinated and be alert to signs of severe illness. Hsu’s family yesterday confirmed that the actress died on a family holiday in Japan due to pneumonia during the Lunar New Year holiday. CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) told an impromptu news conference that hospital visits for flu-like illnesses from Jan. 19 to Jan. 25 reached 162,352 — the highest
COMBINING FORCES: The 66th Marine Brigade would support the 202nd Military Police Command in its defense of Taipei against ‘decapitation strikes,’ a source said The Marine Corps has deployed more than 100 soldiers and officers of the 66th Marine Brigade to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) as part of an effort to bolster defenses around the capital, a source with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. Two weeks ago, a military source said that the Ministry of National Defense ordered the Marine Corps to increase soldier deployments in the Taipei area. The 66th Marine Brigade has been tasked with protecting key areas in Taipei, with the 202nd Military Police Command also continuing to defend the capital. That came after a 2017 decision by the ministry to station
PETITIONS: A Democratic Progressive Party official quoted President William Lai as saying that civil society groups are organizing the recall drives at the grassroots level Some civil society groups yesterday announced that they have collected enough signatures to pass the first-stage threshold to initiate a recall vote against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators in 18 constituencies nationwide, saying that they would submit the signatures to the Central Election Commission (CEC) today. They also said that they expected to pass the threshold in eight more constituencies in the coming days, meaning the number of KMT legislators facing a recall vote could reach 26. The groups set up stations to collect signatures at local marketplaces and busy commercial districts. The legislators their petition drives target include Fu