A land swap case involving the site of the former Iec Long Firecracker Factory in Taipa has been submitted to the Commission against Corruption (CCAC), Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, said on Monday.
Rosário talked to reporters on the sidelines of a Q&A plenary session in the Legislative Assembly (AL).
“I made the suggestion [of submitting the case to the CCAC] to the chief executive. The chief executive agreed. The case has been submitted to the CCAC,” the policy secretary said.
Reporters repeatedly asked him about the reason for submitting the case to the CCAC and whether there was anything suspicious about the land swap. Rosario replied that it was not appropriate for him to make any comments on the case.
Apart from graft probes, the CCAC also investigates suspected “administrative illegalities”. It also includes the role of ombudsman.
On Sunday, Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On said the government would carry out an investigation into the matter and afterwards would give the public an explanation.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese-language radio channel of government broadcaster TDM reported in Monday that the site of the former fireworks factory in Taipa was exchanged for 150,000 square meters of land in NAPE where the One Central, Mandarin Oriental and MGM properties have been built. The report, which did not cite any source, also said that Sio had been involved in the land swap.
The government has said it plans to convert the site of the former factory into a theme park about the city’s traditional firecracker industry, which was a world leader in the last century.
The theme park projects has been delayed for years.
(macaunews/ macaupost)
