Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng has proposed a candidate to the Chief Executive to fill an executive position with the Cultural Industries Fund, as the city’s Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) has just cleared a former executive member of a suspected case of nepotism. In a press statement released late Thursday night, the Commission reiterated that it has found no evidence showing that the former executive member of the fund, Chao Son U, is guilty of misconduct. ‘Both the investigation under the summary procedure conducted by the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture and the internal investigation by the Fund have confirmed that the former executive member had excused himself [when members evaluated his relative’s application for funding]…’ the statement read. ‘The Commission also believes that there have not been any illegal acts involved in the Fund grant [as] the Commission has conducted its additional investigation and a deep analysis by the Commission of the documents handed to it by the Office’. In the same statement, CCAC stressed that it had not found sufficient evidence to suggest that some of the Fund’s members had been ‘guided’ by the former executive member when answering questions by the Office regarding the alleged misconduct. The statement published by the CCAC followed an ad hoc press briefing hosted on Thursday evening by eight individuals claiming to be Fund staff members who all complained that the CCAC had been “too quick” to arrive at their findings. In response to a phone enquiry by Business Daily, the head of the Fund’s administrative committee and Executive Council spokesperson, Leong Heng Teng, said he would not further comment on the case. New member The Cultural Industries Fund noted to us that it is awaiting the arrival of a new member to attend as the organ’s executive member. When speaking to media on the sidelines of a public event on Friday night, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam said he has proposed Chu Miu Lai as the new candidate to the Chief Executive. Ms. Chu currently serves as the deputy co-ordinator of the Macau Grand Prix Committee. Alexis Tam said Ms. Chu has more than 20 years of experience working for the government and he believes she would do a good job at the Fund. He added that the Cultural Industries Fund “has passed its hardest time and is entering a flat path”, he hopes that all the colleagues would work in accordance with the law and do a fair job in their positions. Chao’s tenure of the executive post in the Fund was terminated by Secretary Tam last month, a move he told media was to “secure public confidence” in the Fund. Chao is a former advisor to CCAC and the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, which at the time was headed by Cheong U. S.L.
—
