Macao’s Court of First Instance held its first hearing yesterday into a case relating to an alleged vote buying scheme that took place during the 2021 Legislative Assembly elections.
According to local media reports, the case involves 18 defendants who have been accused of complicity in the O Mun Kong I (Macau Righteousness) nomination committee’s vote-buying scheme.
Among the accused is chief suspect and labour activist, Lee Sio Kuan, who has been charged with attempting to secure nomination in the direct election by illicitly soliciting signatures from some 200 eligible voters in exchange for a free tour, meals and gifts.
Seventeen of the defendants appeared at the hearing, including the second and third defendants, Wu U Choi and Che Mio Peng. Meanwhile, the 11th defendant received permission to not attend the session.
Ten witnesses also gave evidence at the hearing, with all of them arguing that they did not participate in any half-day Macao tours organised by Lee and his associates on 21 June 2021.
During the hearing, the chief prosecutor exhibited O Mun Kong I’s nomination form with the ID numbers and signatures of the witnesses, nine of whom denied that it was theirs.
When asked by the magistrate whether they were aware of the travel agency involved in the bribery case, all 10 witnesses maintained that they had never heard of it.
If found guilty of engaging in vote buying, Lee and the other defendants could face up to eight years in prison, with no prospect of a suspended sentence, or the substitution of their prison terms with a fine or other alternative punishments.
Additional witnesses are due to take the stand in future hearings, with the trial proceedings scheduled to run until the latter part of February.
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The current trial can be traced back to the Commission Against Corruption’s (CCAC) announcement in December 2022 that it had completed its investigation into an electoral bribery case during the 7th Legislative Assembly elections.
At the time, the CCAC said that the suspected individuals had organised a half-day tour, catering and gifts such as “laundry detergent liquid and umbrellas” to secure signatures for the nomination application form, which was submitted to the Legislative Assembly Elections Affairs Management Committee.
“During investigation by the CCAC, quite a lot of people admitted learning about getting a free tour and catering by just signing on the forms through their mobile software or word of mouth,” the anti-graft watchdog wrote.
Government data shows that O Mun Kong I did not manage to win any seats in the 2021 direct elections, as it gained just 0.59 percent of the vote (778 votes).
Lee is no stranger to controversy. He was previously charged by the Judiciary Police with attacking an Australian man during a 2010 Macau labour protest. The labour activist denied the accusations, claiming that his arrest was politically-motivated.
