Accused Macau billionaire at centre of UN corruption probe freed on house arrest after paying US$50m bail
Ng Lap-seng, developer at centre of an alleged cash-for-influence racket, is freed on house arrest in the US after paying US$50 million
A billionaire Macau real estate developer detained in the United States on charges that he bribed a former top UN official was granted US$50 million bail yesterday and placed under house arrest in a luxury Manhattan flat.
As a global investigation widens over the alleged multimillion-dollar cash-for-influence racket - at the heart of which lies a mysterious plan to build a UN convention centre in Macau - US prosecutors say if the charges against Ng Lap-seng, 68, and others are proven, it will show the global body has been "infected with the cancer of corruption".
Ng had been in US custody since his arrest on September 19 because he was deemed a flight risk due to his substantial wealth, accumulated from real estate, casino-related activities in Macau and other commercial interests.
He heads the Sun Kian Ip Group and has a net worth of US$1.8 billion and US$1 billion in real estate holdings. He also boasts top-level links in both Beijing and Washington, being a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the election committee for Macau chief executive.
Early yesterday Hong Kong time, Ng's lawyers convinced US magistrate Kevin Fox to let their client live under house arrest at a US$3.6 million flat and be watched round the clock by two private security guards. Ng must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and pay the US$200-an-hour cost of the guards.
Prosecutor Daniel Richenthal said Washington might appeal as it was "not appropriate for wealthy defendants to buy their freedom". Benjamin Brafman, Ng's lawyer, countered by saying: "Rich people should not be put in jail just because they are rich."