The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a local man – who works as a public servant – on Tuesday for embezzling a total of about 510,000 patacas from a property management committee of a residential building in Nape – of which he was then the vice-president, PJ spokesman Leng Kam Lon said during a special press conference yesterday.
The suspect embezzled money, on multiple occasions last year, because of money he owed his mother and debts to someone else due to failed investments in the stock market.
No details of the second debtor were given.
Leng identified the suspect as a 49-year-old surnamed Si who has worked in the public administration for over 30 years.
According to Leng, the treasurer of the property management committee checked the committee’s bank account in late June last year and found five suspicious transactions – payments from the committee to others. The treasurer then checked with the bank and found that the five payments amounting to some 180,000 patacas were made by cheque, Leng said.
According to Leng, the treasurer told the other members of the property management committee about the situation. Si, the then vice-president of the committee, claimed that this situation may have been caused by mistakes made by the bank.
In early July last year, Si admitted to the committee’s treasurer that he had taken the 180,000 patacas or so from the committee’s bank account and promised that he would return the money as soon as possible, Leng said.
According to Leng, the treasurer told other members of the committee about the situation – what Si had admitted. Later the committee decided to report the case to the police, Leng said, adding that the treasurer went to the PJ headquarters to report the case on July 4 last year.
After investigating, PJ officers discovered that the five cheques involving the approximately180, 000 patacas had been issued by someone – Si – who falsified signatures, Leng said.
According to Leng, two members of the property management committee, which consists of several members, were allowed to sign the committee’s cheques for payments to third parties. Si and the treasurer were the two members designated as signatories, according to Leng.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded embezzlement suspect to a PJ vehicle outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. Photo: Iong Tat Choi
