Macao property tycoon freed from jail in US
Judge orders David Ng Lap Seng’s early release due to fears that the 72-year-old could be infected with Covid-19 in prison.
David Ng Lap Seng – who was sentenced to four years in jail for bribing two United Nations ambassadors – has been released on health grounds.
A judge in New York granted Ng, who founded the Sun Kian Ip real estate group, early release from prison after serving just 34 months of his term, according to reports by US media and international wire services.
According to the reports, the judge in a Manhattan court rejected the prosecutors’ argument that Ng’s initial vaccination against the novel coronavirus should prevent his being freed.
Ng’s lawyer had cited the high risk of contracting the novel coronavirus in such a crowded facility.
Ng, 72, was convicted of bribing two UN ambassadors to win support for a large-scale international conference centre that he had planned to build in Macao.
The judge ordered Ng’s compassionate release because of his worsening health, stating that he would be safer in Macao than in a Pennsylvania penitentiary with hundreds of novel coronavirus-infected patients.
Ng, who would have been eligible for release this December, is expected to be fully vaccinated and transferred to the custody of US immigration officials before returning home to Macao.
