Macau, China, 9 Apr – The trial of local businessman Pedro Chiang, defendant in the corruption case of former government secretary Ao Man Long, started Thursday in Macau and will continue on Wednesday, at the Lower Court (TJB).
The fifth trial case linked to the former Macau secretary for transport and public works Ao Man Long case includes another 11 defendants, besides Chiang.
Chiang, 56, is accused of eight counts of corruption, four of abuse of power and four of money laundering in the corruption scandal that sent former secretary Ao Man Long to jail.
Ao, 52, was arrested in 2006 and sentenced to 27 years in January 2008 after being found guilty of taking huge bribes as he awarded public works contracts for a series of massive construction projects between 1999 until his arrest in December 2006.
Pedro Chiang has been away from Macau since 2007, having left before being called to testify by the Macau Commission Against Corruption (CCAC).
As a Portuguese national, Chiang had been residing in Lisbon since September 14 last year with his wife and son.
According to Macau newspaper "Ponto Final", Chiang request to be investigated and prosecuted by the Portuguese authorities was denied by the Attorney General’s Office.
During the opening session it was read a four-hour accusation, with the president of the TJB collegial panel, judge Mario Augusto Silvestre, detailing the construction works and projects involved in the case.
(MacauNews)
