Corruption trial opens in casino boomtown Macau

06.11.2007, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «Corruption trial opens in casino boomtown Macau».

HONG KONG (AFP) — A Macau graft trial opened Monday in the gambling hotspot, where it threatens to expose a murky underworld behind the city's massive recent boom. Ao Man-long, Macau's former secretary for transport and public works, faces charges including taking bribes, money laundering and abuse of power. Ao, who was arrested in December last year by the Macau Commission Against Corruption, has amassed a personal fortune of more than 100 million dollars in the past six years -- 57 times his family's income during that time.

The graftbusters accuse him of handing out public construction contracts in return for kickbacks. His assets included cash, bank deposits, watches and jewellery, a 300-bottle wine cellar and expensive delicacies like abalone and shark's fin. The high-profile case has put the spotlight on the casino city, which last year overtook the Las Vegas Strip as the world's largest gaming hub, pulling in 7.2 billion dollars in gaming revenues. "This is the biggest corruption case in Macau's history. The residents here have high expectations for this," legislator Jose Coutinho said.

Macau -- formerly an enclave of Portugal and now a special administrative region of China -- has attracted a flood of foreign investment since 2001 when it liberalised its gaming market, ending local tycoon Stanley Ho's monopoly. In August the Venetian chain opened a huge casino resort that is twice the size of its original premises in Las Vegas. The Venetian Macau not only boasts a casino with 870 tables and 3,400 slot machines but also has 20 restaurants, 350 shops and a hotel with 3,000 suites.

Las Vegas-based Steve Wynn and Australia's Crown have opened casinos here, with MGM expected to open its own later this year. The glitzy city of only 525,500 people has worked hard in recent years to shake off a reputation as a haven for gambling-related sleaze and criminality.

Howver Steve Vickers, a leading Asian security expert, last week warned of endemic corruption in the territory. "I generally believe that corruption is getting out of control. Macau is becoming a mess," he said. Apart from Ao, another unnamed official in his department was arrested in July for allegedly embezzling public funds. He was suspected of using the money to bet on football matches.

Legislator Au Kam-san cast doubt on the government's sincerity in solving the rampant corruption problems. He said laws on the sale of land were open to abuse. There have been more than 100 plots put up for sale in the eight years since it returned to Chinese rule but only one piece of land has been sold by public auction. He said there also had been serious overspending by officials on government construction projects but the officials had failed to explain the reasons. "The problems are uncontrollable and this has encouraged corruption here. Although we legislators have complained about it, Edmund Ho ignores our concerns and he hasn't done anything about it," Au said, referring to Macau's chief executive. "If the government doesn't change, I doubt that corruption will stop."

Coutinho also called for greater transparency within the government. "There is a lack of transparency within the government. The Macau Commission Against Corruption is only answerable to Edmund Ho but not the legislators who represent the Macau residents. More than 100 witnesses will be called in to give evidence in the trial, which is expected to last for at least a month.

Über Glücksspiele in Macau - Gambling in Macao:

Macau (englisch Macao) liegt rund 50 Kilometer westlich von Hongkong und ist das Glücksspiel-Paradies in Asien.

Macau hat rund 40 Spielcasinos. Die grössten Casinos sind The Venetian Macao, MGM Macao, Wynn Macao, Galaxy StarWorld, City of Dreams, Sands Macao, Casino Lisboa.

Neben den riesigen und farbenfrohen Casinobuildings ist eines der Wahrzeichen der Macau Tower (Fernsehturm mit 338 Meter) mit atemberaubenden Ausblicken auf die Stadt.

Macau erstreckt sich über eine Fläche von 115.3 km2 und hat rund 620'000 Einwohner.

--- Ende Artikel / Pressemitteilung Corruption trial opens in casino boomtown Macau ---


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