Macao public works chief, 11 others arrested in corruption case

HONG KONG, Dec. 8 Kyodo

Macao's graft-buster announced Friday the arrest of Transport and Public Works Secretary Ao Man-long and 11 other people for alleged corruption and money laundering.

The Commission Against Corruption of Macao, in a statement, said some of the eight men and three women arrested are relatives of Ao.

Hong Kong's Cable TV showed footage of Ao being handcuffed and escorted by officers to the Public Prosecutions Office.

The commission said Ao is believed to have ''made use of channels of financial systems outside Macao to clean'' money obtained through corruption.

''With the help of his relatives, he registered some shell companies abroad and cleaned the corrupt money in a secretive and zigzag way through bank account networks,'' it said.

The Final Court of Appeal will handle the legal proceedings of Ao's case since he is a senior government official, according to the laws of Macao.

''No matter one's ranking, everyone should be judged by the law,'' Macao Chief Executive Edmund Ho was quoted by Cable TV as saying. ''The just and fair legal system will give us an answer.''

The gambling industry is the economic engine of the former Portuguese colony, which was returned to China in 1999.

After the government increased the number of casino licenses from one to six, breaking up local casino mogul Stanley Ho's 40-year monopoly, mega casino resorts have been built with foreign investment.

Ao was responsible for approving land sales for the heated development in recent years. The local media has criticized Ao, accusing him of colluding with developers to sell off land cheaply.

Ao has been seen as a close ally of Ho and a hopeful to succeed him as chief executive, according to Hong Kong media reports.

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