The Macau Prosecutor’s Office announced that it had charged four people, including deputy prosecutor Kong Chi, with corruption, abuse of power and violation of judicial secrecy.
The Macau Prosecutor’s Office announced this Saturday that it had charged four people, including deputy prosecutor Kong Chi, with corruption, abuse of power and violation of judicial secrecy.
In a statement, the parliamentarian said that the ruling order had already been issued by a judge and that the case was sent to the Court of Second Instance of the Chinese region to set a trial date.
The statement revealed that the case is part of an investigation report by the Anti-Corruption Commissioner on the deputy prosecutor, who has been on long-term leave without pay since February 2022.
“After an in-depth investigation,” the parliamentarian concluded that Kong Chi “created a criminal association, received bribes and carried out illegal acts against judicial impartiality in several criminal investigation cases.”
The MP accused the deputy prosecutor of committing the crimes of passive corruption due to an illegal act, personal favoritism practiced by an official, abuse of power, violation of judicial secrecy and prevarication.
According to the Macau Penal Code, the crimes of which Kong Chi is accused are punishable by a maximum prison sentence of eight years.
The statement revealed that Kong Chi had acted “in collusion with a lawyer surnamed Kuan and two defendants surnamed Choi and Ng,” with the defendants already in custody awaiting trial.
The parliamentarian admitted that the crimes with which the deputy prosecutor is accused will probably “damage the reputation of the Macau SAR.” [Região Administrativa Especial de Macau] and judicial bodies.”
“To defend the rule of law and guarantee the integrity of the team of judges, it will make every effort to hold accountable and punish, in accordance with the law, all those suspected of having committed violations of the law and disciplinary violations,” guaranteed the deputy.
In 2017, former prosecutor Ho Chio Meng, who led the MP from the transition of the Macau administration from Portugal to China in 1999 until 2014, was sentenced to 21 years in prison for various crimes, including qualified fraud, aggravated money laundering and foundation of a criminal association, authorship or co-authorship.
After being arrested on suspicion of corruption, Ho was accused of more than 1,500 crimes in the awarding of works and services in the exercise of his functions in the Public Ministry, in authorship or co-authorship with nine other defendants.
Source: Observadora
