Advertisement

US prosecutors targeting Macau billionaire Ng Lap Seng reveal new charges - and his nickname

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Macau real estate developer Ng Lap Seng is accused of bribing former United Nations General Assembly president John Ashe. Photo: Reuters

US prosecutors on Tuesday brought new charges against a billionaire from Macau accused of engaging in a scheme to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to a former United Nations General Assembly president.

Advertisement

A revised indictment filed in Manhattan federal court against Ng Lap Seng, a real estate developer from the Chinese territory, and his assistant, Jeff Yin, included new charges that both men violated the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Prosecutors also added tax-related charges against Yin. The indictment said he took steps to evade paying income taxes and helped a diplomat from the Dominican Republic involved in the scheme conceal portions of his income from U.S. tax authorities.

And prosecutors unveiled an alias that they said Ng, the founder of Macau-based real estate developer Sun Kian Ip Group, was known by: “Boss Wu.”

Lawyers for Ng and Yin did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both have previously denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to bribery and money laundering charges.

Advertisement

Ng, who was once linked to a campaign fundraising investigation during former US President Bill Clinton’s administration, is one of seven individuals charged since October 2015 in the UN-related probe.

loading
Advertisement