The Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) has announced that it is investigating two senior officials of the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) on suspicion of bribe-taking.
While Saturday’s statement did not identify the two DSAMA officials, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosario said yesterday that the two individuals comprised the bureau’s deputy director and a department head.
Vong Kam Fai is the bureau’s only deputy director. The CCAC statement did not state the exact nature of the alleged crimes, only saying the two were suspected of taking bribes, adding that both had been suspended from their duties and were forbidden to leave Macau.
Vong is a former translator of the Chinese-language radio channel of government-owned broadcaster TDM. The Portuguese-language TV channel of TDM last night named Vong as one of the two suspects in the case.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Macau Basic Law promotion event in Praça do Tap Seac, Rosario said he won’t comment further until the results of the CCAC investigation are out.
The policy secretary also said he did not know the details of the case or the alleged amount of bribes involved, adding he only found out around the same time as the media.
Meanwhile, the DSAMA pledged in a statement late Saturday night that it will closely co-operate with the CCAC. The bureau insisted that its operations will be unaffected by the case.
The bureau also said that it had been “actively” co-operating with the CCAC in the investigation, adding that the government would launch disciplinary procedures against the two officials.
The DSAMA’s duties include those of a harbour master’s office. It also oversees the city’s tap water supply and manages Macau’s ferry terminals.
The Pac On ferry terminal in Taipa has been beset with cost and time overrun issues.
The DSAMA case is the most serious alleged graft case in the public administration since March 2011 when a vice-president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) was investigated by CCAC inspectors for alleged abuse of power. His appointment was later terminated. (Macaunews/Macaupost)
