King Light Garden and One Central property rights should not be affected by CCAC report, says CE

The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today said the findings of a report – produced by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) – should not have a negative impact on the property rights of owners of apartments in the King Light Garden and One Central buildings. This was in consideration of the fact that they had completed the registration procedures for their respective flats. This perspective was arrived at following advice from the Commissioner Against Corruption and the Prosecutor-General, he said. The King Light Garden and One Central private housing developments were built on sites acquired through a land swap deal involving in return the site of the former Iec Long Firecracker Factory. That land swap was considered null and void by the CCAC in its latest report. The Government agreed with the findings of the CCAC report; and would handle the case in accordance with the law, and with the goal of safeguarding the public interest, Mr Chui told reporters this morning before leaving Macao for a three-day visit to Beijing. The CCAC stated – in a report released earlier this month – that a land swap agreement signed on 10 January 2001 between a firm called Baía de Nossa Senhora da Esperança Development Company and the Government, was null and void. The company agreed to pass the site of the former Iec Long Firecracker Factory to the Government in exchange for the plots of land where King Light Garden and One Central were built: the latter two parcels of land where under public control prior to the land swap. The Chief Executive said he had instructed the Secretary for Transport and Public Works to follow up the case; and requested CCAC to investigate if there were any suggestion of fraud or corruption regarding the land swap. The CCAC already had initiated an investigation into the matter and would notify the Public Prosecutions Office if evidence of any wrongdoing were found. Mr Chui also commented on the level of public investment in construction projects in Macao during the ongoing adjustment period for the city’s gaming industry. He said several public projects were now being launched as anticipated in the Macao SAR Budget for 2016, and as approved by the Legislative Assembly. Mr Chui added that the construction of more infrastructure and public facilities could, in the long run, help enhance Macao’s regional competiveness.