Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) of
the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR)
of the People's Republic of China has cracked a few
cases in recent months after lengthy investigations
and careful planning. The cases, which attracted great
publicity in the local community, include: a deception
case involving fraudulent vehicle accident insurance
claims, a marine police suspected syndicated corruption
case and the Legislative Council Election case which
was featured in the October issue of the International
Newsletter. In this issue, we will look at the marine
police suspected syndicated corruption case.
During the early hours of
Tuesday 21 August 2001 a large squad of investigators
descended on the Inner Harbour Pier from where about
70 people were taken to CCAC offices in Macao. At the
same time a number of other premises were searched.
These were the first steps in an operation against a
suspected corrupt syndicate organized within the marine
police. At 6.30am on Thursday 23 August 2001, 10 teams
of CCAC investigators visited various locations and
a number of police officers were brought back to CCAC
offices for enquiries. With 20 months' careful planning,
Operation Phoenix culminated in the arrest of 9 police
officers.
The suspected corrupt syndicate,
involving marine police officers responsible for customs
control and sea patrols was believed to have been active
for many years. To exercise an effective control over
its operation, the syndicate had operated a 'bearer'
system. The 'bearers' were the bribe collectors, and
were posted at all major control points in Macao. Making
use of their authority, they allegedly collected bribes
according to the type and quantity
of cargoes regardless of whether they were legally or
illegally imported or exported.
The Barrier Gate Crossing
which links Macao with Mainland China, deals with a
huge flow of cargo, in both directions on a daily basis.
This situation was ripe for extortion and the syndicate
deployed their 'bearers' on three shifts in order to
collect 'tea money' from all cargo owners using the
Crossing. In the event that a cargo owner refused to
pay, the 'bearers' would cause him to be delayed and
generally make things difficult by opening all cargo
containers for examination. Such was the sophistication
of the syndicate that a payment system was established
which allowed cargo owners to settle their accounts
within 10 to 15 days. The investigation has revealed
that one businessman has been forced to pay in excess
of US$125,000 in one year. The amount of bribes collected
annually by the syndicate has been estimated at millions
of dollars and has seriously affected the normal trade
and investment activities in Macao. There has also been
a huge loss to the Macao SAR Government in annual tax
revenues.
Commissario
contra a Corrupcao (CCAC)
Macao Special Administrative Region
