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2014年3月14日 星期五

澳門以錢代監可取消刑期 - In Macau You Can Pay Money To Cancel Imprisonment

雖然劉、羅兩人罪名成立,惟根據澳門法例,若兩人潛逃至刑期即將完結時,便可委派律師,向法庭申請取消刑期,屆時犯人便可自由出入澳門境內,並不用受刑,犯人甚至可以錢代監,免除牢獄之災。
 
澳門法律界人士指,當法院判刑後,刑期會待犯人接獲通知後開始計算,如犯人潛逃有關當局會發出拘捕令,並向各個出入境關口發攔截令。如犯人一直無出現,待刑期即將完結時,可委派律師,向法庭申請何時可取消刑期,法院會考慮犯人干犯罪行之嚴重性、對社會的危害性、刑期長短等因素,決定何時取消刑期。換言之犯人獲法庭取消刑期後,即使犯人於澳門出現,亦毋須服刑。而根據《刑法典》如嫌犯在犯案後未被拘捕,其觸犯的法例徒刑為五年或超逾五年,法律的追溯期限為十五年。
 
按案情嚴重性決定
 
另外,根據澳門《刑法典》第四十四至五十五條,兩例分別載有「徒刑的替代」及「緩刑」的闡釋。澳門法律界人士解釋,條文列明犯人只要被判不超過半年的徒刑,法官即可改判相同日數的罰金,代替監禁;而刑期不超過三年者,法官則可判處緩刑,再要求被判刑者繳交罰金,「罰金多少,會因應犯人所干犯罪行、經濟狀況而有所不同。」
 
該律師續稱,只要犯人遭判處的刑期短於三年,而法官又認為被判刑者不會危害社會安全,都可以以錢代監,「無論係危險駕駛,抑或係偽造文件,即係俗稱嘅『斯文罪』,都可以咁做。」他指,被判刑者雖然會留有案底,但只要不再於緩刑期內犯罪,便可免除牢獄之災。
 
澳門立法會議員梁榮仔指,在澳葡年代,間中或會出現囚犯被特赦情況,惟回歸後,相關規例亦同告終結。但他補充,如犯人於在囚期間表現良好,監獄亦可代為提出假釋,他說:「獄方可以寫份報告畀法院,由法院決定可唔可以假釋,如果成功,犯人只係需要坐三分之二刑期。」
 

華置主席「大劉」劉鑾雄及南華足主羅傑承行賄及洗黑錢罪名成立

澳門初級法院經過近兩年審訊,昨宣判華置主席「大劉」劉鑾雄及南華足主羅傑承,行賄澳門運輸工務司前司長歐文龍及洗黑錢罪名成立,劉、羅各判監禁五年三個月。案中八名被告全部缺席聽審,大劉女友呂麗君出席旁聽,劉、羅代表律師表示會提出上訴。

這宗巨貪案矚目中港澳,昨午3時,初級法院合議庭主席蕭偉志開始宣讀判詞,花近一小時才宣讀完畢,指審查所有證據及證詞,認為羅傑承並無任何意願參與涉案機場附近的五幅土地,亦即華置發展項目「御海.南灣」土地,羅只是以中間人身份協助撮成大劉與歐文龍合作。

八名被告全缺席聽審

法官又指出,協助Moon Ocean競投涉案土地的東基公司,並無任何相關顧問工作文件呈交法庭,是「難以置信」,續指大劉作為富經驗的商人,向Moon Ocean貸款兩億元,卻無即時獲得該公司股權,直至該公司獲得涉案土地後才收購該公司,整個過程不合理,法庭對此「好有懷疑」,種種證據迹象反映,實際對涉案土地有興趣者是劉鑾雄。
同時,在歐文龍「友好手冊」中,有寫上「劉鑾雄」或「大劉」名字,法官指,「商界中人都好清楚,大劉係劉鑾雄嘅別名」,手冊中未載有羅傑承的名字,證明羅只是中間人。法官稱根據證人供詞,涉案土地競投由澳門政府決定,由歐挑選參與競投公司,雖獲邀投標者不符要求,但最終涉案土地判給剛成立的Moon Ocean,反映整個批地過程由歐操控。初級法院合議庭三名法官經商議裁定劉及羅兩項罪名成立,首項行賄罪各判兩年九個月;第二項洗黑錢罪各判四年,量刑後劉及羅各判監禁五年三個月。
至於同案其他六名被告,其中五名賄賂罪名成立,各被判監兩年十個月至四年六個月不等,但他們洗黑錢罪不成立;第八被告歐文龍妻子陳明瑛,兩項洗黑錢罪名成立,判監禁四年。案中八名被告昨全部缺席,僅大劉女友呂麗君到庭旁聽。

兩人均表示會提上訴

大劉代表律師明路義稱,其當事人全部否認判決的所有指控,他須研究判詞,20日內會向中級法院提上訴。

羅傑承代表大律師華年達引述羅對判決感失望及憂慮,因無足夠證據證明其當事人名字出現在歐的文件上,他會為羅提出上訴。他又說羅因病未能出庭聽判決,醫生建議羅留在家中最少休息兩日,但他不允透露其病情。

根據澳門法例,行賄罪最高可被判入獄三年;洗黑錢罪最高可判入獄八年。有澳門法律界人士指,今次劉及羅的判刑,與歐文龍貪污案及同類案件判刑相若。該法律界人士指,今次全部被告缺席聽審,由代表律師出庭,被定罪的他們可於20日內向中級法院提出上訴,中級法院考慮是否接納上訴或維持原判。根據澳門刑事法,被告判罪後若不在澳門,澳門當局會發出通緝令,但只有10年有效期。提及今次劉及羅案的律師費,該法律界人士說,曾有商人涉澳門案件,請澳門知名大律師辯護,花費數百萬元;今次大劉案中,代表大劉及羅辯護的均是當地最著名律師,加上大劉曾換律師團隊,案件歷時近兩年,估計律師費以千萬元計.

貪污案判詞重點

‧所有證據、證供認定羅傑承無任何意願參與涉案土地項目,唯一證明只有羅組成的Moon Ocean公司,這公司其後被劉鑾雄收購,羅只是中間人
‧涉案土地批給過程由澳門政府決定,並由歐文龍選出可參與競投的公司,獲邀投標者卻不符合要求,最後批給Moon Ocean,據法庭經驗,整個土地競投由歐一手操控
‧無任何有關協助Moon Ocean競投土地提供顧問的東基公司的顧問工作文件,是難以置信
‧雖然羅傑承持有的Moon Ocean曾制訂涉案土地的初步研究報告,但實際是由劉鑾雄全權操控
‧劉鑾雄是富經驗的商人,為何向Moon Ocean借貸兩億元,卻無立即獲取該公司股權,而是在該公司取得涉案土地後,才收購該公司,過程不合理,種種迹象反映對涉案土地有興趣者是劉鑾雄
‧歐文龍「友好手冊」中,有寫上劉鑾雄,有的寫上大劉,商界清楚大劉是劉鑾雄的別名,兩人在涉案土地投標前,有可疑接觸
Joseph Lau Luen-hung, Steven Lo Kit-shing sentenced to jail for land deal

Billionaire Hong Kong property tycoon Joseph Lau Luen-hung has been handed a jail term of five years and three months by a Macau court for his part in a bribes-for-land racket involving the most corrupt public official ever brought to justice in the history of the former Portuguese enclave.
 
Chinese Estates Holdings chairman, Lau, 62, and his high-profile business partner Steven Lo Kit-shing were yesterday found guilty of corruption and money laundering for paying a HK$20 million bribe to disgraced ex-public works chief Ao Man-long, who was jailed for 29 years in May 2012.
Both men were given the same jail term despite Judge Mario Augusto Silvestre saying that Lau had played a more significant "planning'' role in the bribery scheme. Lawyers for the pair said they would appeal.
 
Neither Lau, who is worth US$8.4 billion according to the Forbes rich list, nor Lo, the multi-millionaire boss of top Hong Kong soccer team South China, were in Macau's Court of First Instance to hear the verdict. They are unlikely to spend any time behind bars because Macau does not have an extradition treaty with Hong Kong.
 
After a two-year trial punctuated by delays, sickness and an unprecedented change of judge, Lau and Lo were found guilty of offering a bribe to Ao in return for five plots of prime land over-looking one of the world's most lucrative stretches of land - Macau's glitzy Cotai Strip - for a luxury housing development, La Scala.
 
Judge Augusto Silvestre - who replaced original trial judge Alice Costa, who fell sick shortly after the trail opened - said it was Lau's idea to buy the land, describing Lo as "merely a middleman".
 
In a closed bid for the land near Macau airport in June 2005, Jones Lang LaSalle, representing Lo's Moon Ocean, bought the land for HK$1.37 billion. Lau bought 70 per cent of the company in December 2005, acquiring the remaining 30 per cent in March 2011.
 
The judge said it was suspicious that Lau signed an option agreement with Moon Ocean and offered a HK$250million loan to it soon after the company was established. Lau did not exercise the option but bought the majority of Moon Ocean shares six months after it won the bid.
 
The court earlier heard that Lau and Lo hired architecture firm Hsin Yieh to prepare designs for the land before the tender was public knowledge.
 
"Although Lo did hire Hsin Yieh for a rough study of the land, it was in fact Lau who came up with the plan," the judge said, adding: "Lo acted merely as a middleman to help [Lau] to seal the deal between him and Ao."
 
Lo's Eastern Base signed a HK$20 million contract to provide consultation services for Moon Oean, but the judge also said it was "difficult to believe" actual service was provided. The court was told the sum eventually ended up in a company controlled by Ao.
 
Lo's lawyer, Jorge Neto Valente, said Lo was "upset" at the verdict and was not in court because a doctor had advised him to get some rest.
 
Lau was also absent, like he has been for most of the proceedings due to illness.
 
Six other defendants in the case were found guilty and jailed for corruption or money laundering. They were also not in court.