In
1st UN Bribery Case Chau Chak
Wing Was CC-3 But UN Tells ICP
That Changes Nothing
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Video
UNITED NATIONS,
May 22 – Eight
months after
the UN bribery
conviction of
Macau-based
businessman Ng
Lap Seng, on March
30 the prosecution
asked for a
jail term of
over six years
and a $2
million fine.
In the
underlying
indictment
there was a
Co-Conspirator
3 who also
bribed UN
President of
the General
Assembly John
Ashe. This
CC-3 has now been
identified as
Chau Chak Wing
by Australian
MP Andrew
Hastie,
chairman of
the
Parliamentary
Joint
Committee on
Intelligence
and Security.
Hastie
recently met
with US
authorities
about
espionage and
foreign
interference
legislation,
and said it
was during
those
discussions he
confirmed the
"long-suspected
identity of
CC-3" as Dr
Chau."The same
man who
co-conspired
to bribe the
United Nations
president of
the General
Assembly, John
Ashe," Hastie
said in a
speech in the
Australian
Parliament’s
Federation
Chamber. On May 22,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, video here,
UN transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
you, in… in
what was
called the
John Ashe
case, a
businessman,
Mr. Chau Chak
Wing has been
identified as
Co-conspirator
3 in… that was
in the
indictment.
And it's
caused quite a
furore in
Australia, but
I guess my
question is,
given that the
UN did, in
that case,
unlike the
Patrick Ho
case, conduct
an audit, did
the UN know
the identity
of
Co-conspirator
3? And
what does it
show you now,
given… given
Mr. Chau Chak
Wang's other…
Wing's other…
other
roles?
What does it
mean for the
UN that he,
according to
intelligence
sources and
now, as stated
in the
Australian
Parliament,
paid a
$200,000 bribe
to a
then-sitting
President of
the General
Assembly?
Spokesman:
I think we've
commented on
the case, and
we have
cooperated
fully with the
Federal host
authorities
here on the
conclusion of
the case.
Inner
City Press:
But it
doesn't… so
this doesn't
change the ca…
the idea that
this is a
sitting… this
is a person
that's
actually tied
directly to
the Chinese
Communist
Party?
Spokesman:
I've said…
this is what
I've had to
say.
Inner
City Press:
It doesn't
change…
Spokesman:
"This is what
I've had to
say.
Thank you."
On
May 11 Ng was
sentenced to
four years in
jail, and ironically
to pay the legal
fees of the
UN, which even
under the
prosecutors'
press release
he corrupted?
The UN,
which evicted
and still
restricts
Inner City
Press for
pursuing the
extend of Ng's
bribery in the
UN, including
his
payments through
South South
News to the UN
Correspondents
Association, gave
its UN
Censorship
Alliance
scribes a
statement that
In a statement
after the
verdict, the
UN said it
“had
cooperated
extensively to
facilitate the
proper
administration
of justice in
this case, by
disclosing
thousands of
documents and
waiving the
immunity of
officials to
allow them to
testify at
trial." This
statement, and
the UNCA
scribes,
ignore that
the UN is
already embroiled
in another
bribery
scandal, that
of Patrick Ho
and CEFC. Nothing
has been
reformed; Secretary
General
Antonio
Guterress
hasn't even
ordered an
audit. On
May 14, Inner
City Press
asked
Guterres' deputy
spokesman
Farhan Haq,
video here,
UN transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: On
Friday, Ng Lap
Seng of
South-South
News and other
fame was
sentenced to
48 months in
prison for
what’s
described as
bribery of
officials at
the UN.
I did see that
somehow part
of the
settlement was
that the UN’s
legal fees
would be
paid.
So, I had two
questions.
Number one,
how much are
those legal
fees?
Number two, in
the second
what’s
described as a
UN bribery
case involving
Patrick Ho and
the China
Energy Fund
Committee
(CEFC), has
the UN as of
yet rung up
any… any legal
fees?
And has there
as yet been
any audit
ordered as was
audit… ordered
in the case of
Ng Lap Seng
and
South-South
News? And, if
not, why not?
Spokesman:
Regarding the
second
question,
that’s an
ongoing case,
and we’ll have
more details
as it
proceeds.
Regarding the
first, the
United Nations
had cooperated
extensively to
facilitate the
proper
administration
of justice in
the Ng Lap
Seng case by
disclosing
thousands of
documents and
waiving the
immunity of
officials to
allow them to
testify at
trial.
In this
regard, the
organisation
notes the
court’s award
of $302,000 in
restitution to
be paid to the
United Nations
as a victim of
these
crimes.
Nizar?
Inner
City Press:
I have a
follow-up
question… One
of the people
that testified
was… was the
person that
worked in
DGACM
[Department of
General
Assembly and
Conference
Management]
and actually
changed the GA
resolution to
put in the
name of Sun
Kiang Ip
foundation as
the builder of
the… the… the
centre in
Macau.
Was anything
ever done on
that? I
think, if you
follow the
case, you know
that that took
place.
Yes, bribes
were paid
allegedly and
now
convictedly
[sic] to… to
John Ashe and
Francis
Lorenzo, but
a… a UNGA
[United
Nations
General
Assembly]
document, once
it was passed,
was amended by
DGACM.
Who did
that?
And… and… and
are they being
held
accountable?
Spokesman:
The person who
testified in
this case has
retired from
the United
Nations." As
Inner City
Press has
previously
exclusively
reported, that
is Ion
Botnaru. So,
no
accountability?
And the UN is
taking
$302,000 in
"restitution"
while it has paid
nothing in
restitution
for killing 10,000
people with
cholera in
Haiti? We'll
have more on
this. The
prosecutors
said Ng "was
sentenced
today to 48
months in
prison for his
role in a
scheme to
bribe United
Nations
ambassadors to
obtain support
to build a
conference
center in
Macau that
would host,
among other
events, the
annual United
Nations Global
South-South
Development
Expo. NG
was sentenced
by U.S.
District Judge
Vernon S.
Broderick. NG
was convicted
on July 27,
2017, after a
five-week
trial, of two
counts of
violating the
Foreign
Corrupt
Practices Act,
one count of
paying bribes
and
gratuities,
one count of
money
laundering,
and two counts
of conspiracy. Manhattan
U.S. Attorney
Geoffrey S.
Berman
said:
“Billionaire
Ng Lap Seng
corrupted the
highest levels
of the United
Nations in
pursuit of a
multibillion-dollar
real estate
deal in
Macau.
Ng exploited a
center for
international
diplomacy as
an instrument
for his greedy
intentions.
This Office is
committed to
policing
official
corruption
wherever it
may be found.” Acting
Assistant
Attorney
General John
P. Cronan
said:
“Corruption at
any level of
government
undermines the
rule of law
and cannot be
tolerated.
But corruption
is especially
corrosive when
it occurs at
an
international
body like the
United
Nations.
By paying
bribes to two
U.N.
ambassadors to
advance his
interest in
obtaining
formal support
for the Macau
conference
center
project, Ng
Lap Seng tried
to manipulate
the functions
of the United
Nations.
The sentence
handed down
today
demonstrates
that those who
engage in
corruption
will pay a
heavy price
and serves as
a reminder
that no one
stands above
the law.” The day
before,
Judge Vernon
Broderick
denied
Ng's request
for a new
trial and
for an
investigation
of alleged
perjury by
former South
South News
chief Francis
Lorenzo (who
was seen on
First Avenue by
the UN just
days ago).
Broderick filed
it under
seal: "On
September 26,
2017,
Defendant Ng
Lap Seng
(“Defendant”
or “Ng”) filed
a motion for
a new trial
under Rule 33
of the Federal
Rules of
Criminal
Procedure.
(Doc. 653.) Ng
also requested
that I direct
the Government
to conduct an
independent
investigation
into Defendant Francis
Lorenzo’s
(“Lorenzo”)
alleged
perjury during
trial, or in
the
alternative,
to permit Ng
to issue
a defense
subpoena under
Rule 17 of the
Federal Rules
of Criminal
Procedure.
(Id.) Ng has
not
established a
basis for a
new trial or
for me to
direct the
Government to
conduct an investigation
into Lorenzo’s
alleged
perjury or
authorize a
defense
subpoena.
Accordingly,
Ng’s
motion is
DENIED. An
Opinion and
Order
explaining my
decision has
been filed
under seal
because it
relies
upon material
that has been
filed under
seal. A copy
has also been
sent to
counsel by
email. By May
16, 2018, the
parties shall
provide the
Court with
proposed
redactions to
the Opinion
and Order,
if any. I will
consider the
parties’
proposed
redactions and
will file a
redacted
version of the
Opinion and
Order on the
public docket." Meanwhile,
until the last
day Ng has
been
requesting
visits to his
apartment
on 47th Street
by, most
recently, his
god-son. (In
the second UN
bribery case,
Patrick Ho is
still in jail
pending
trial.)
The
March 30 filing
stated
that "The
defendant, a
sophisticated,
international
businessman,
repeatedly
used his
wealth and power
to seek to
corrupt
decision-making
at the United
Nations. That
was a choice.
It warrants
substantial
and meaningful
punishment. The
defendant
could have
sought to
persuade the
UN and the UN
Development Programme
(“UNDP”) to
support his
latest
project—a
massive real
estate
development on
a manmade
island off the
coast of
Macau, China,
including a
conference
center, luxury
hotel, residential
apartments,
and a high-end
shopping mall
with brands
such as Gucci,
to be built by
the
defendant’s
company—on its
purported
merits. But
the merits of
such a project
are, at the very
least, highly
debatable.
Building
luxury hotels,
apartments,
and retail
outlets may be profitable,
but UNDP’s
mission is the
eradication of
poverty and
the reduction
of inequality
through
sustainable,
environmentally
responsible
development.
However,
whether the UN
or UNDP
would have
approved of
and supported
the
defendant’s
project, or a
portion
thereof, on the
merits is a
question to
which one
cannot know
the answer.
Because
instead of
seeking approval
and support on
the merits,
the defendant
cheated.
Hiding behind
and misusing a
nongovernmental organization
that he
founded and
funded
allegedly to
help
developing
nations rather
than himself,
the defendant
orchestrated
and led a
scheme to pay
bribes to two
senior UN ambassadors,
one of whom
was the
elected leader
of the UN
General
Assembly."
Note that the
next PGA, Sam
Kutesa, was
allegedly bribed by
Patrick Ho of
the China
Energy Fund
Committee,
which is STILL
in UN ECOSOC.
We'll have
more on this.
***
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