Britain to return about 28 million pounds to Macao

MACAO - Britain will return a sum of around 28 million British pounds (about 43 million US dollars) to the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) related to the illicit assets confiscated in the bribe-taking case of former official Ao Man Long.

The certificate signing ceremony was held here Tuesday in the presence of Chan Hoi Fan, Secretary for Administration and Justice of the Macao and Caroline Wilson, Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao.

Under this arrangement, the government of Britain will return about 28 million pounds to Macao. Until today, most of Ao's proceeds of corruption abroad that the Macao Court ordered to confiscate have already been successfully recovered.

As an international anti-corruption instrument, the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) has established a very important legal system for fighting corruption at international level, Chan Hoi Fan indicated.

The mechanisms for recovery of property and return of assets, in particular, provided the legal basis to establish close cooperation with and recover the illicit assets from the British government, Chan said.

The returning of the confiscated assets is indeed an exemplary case of the successful implementation of the UNCAC. It has significant implications for fighting crimes, upholding justice and combating money laundering abroad, Chan said.

Macao conveyed the request to the Britain via diplomatic channels for returning the corruption proceeds in Ao's case in 2010.

Ao Man Long, former Secretary for Public Projects and Transportation was sentenced 29 years in prison under charges concerning corruption and money laundering in May of 2012.