Ex-transport chief 'influenced' La Scala land tender
Witness believes jailed former official helped tycoons accused of bribery to win Macau site
A former deputy head of Macau's Infrastructure Development Office yesterday told the territory's Court of First Instance that she felt jailed former public transport chief Ao Man-long had exerted influence over the tendering process for five plots of land in 2005.
She was not told whose idea the sale was, but her observations at work convinced her that it was Ao's brainchild.
"Lourenco told me about the plan. But I felt that it was Ao Man-long's idea," she said.
Lau, chairman of Chinese Estates, and Lo, chairman of BMA Investment, are accused of offering Ao a HK$20 million bribe in 2005 to secure the land for the La Scala luxury residential development.
Each faces one charge of bribery and one of money laundering. Ao was jailed for 29 years in May last year.
Yesterday, Pun said that at the time, the government owned about 80 per cent of the land and that several companies owned the rest.
It was decided that a public tender would not be used for the sale. Instead, three firms were invited to submit proposals. One of those was Jones Lang LaSalle, which represented Moon Ocean, a company then owned by Lo that was later bought by Lau.
Lourenco did not tell Pun how the three firms had been chosen. But Pun said she believed Ao had been behind their selection.
When the prosecution asked whether Ao had influenced the tender outcome, Pun said she believed he had, because Lourenco had always listened to instructions from Ao.
Pun was a member of the task force set up to assess proposals and decide which firm should win the bid.
But she said that she had not personally received pressure from anyone to give preference to any particular firm.
She said she did not know if Ao had taken bribes for awarding the 78,789 square metres of land.
Lo appeared in court yesterday, but Lau remained absent. However, Lau's girlfriend, Lui Lai-kwan, was present, apparently as an observer.
The trial continues tomorrow.
