The Commissioner Against Corruption (CCAC) announced in a statement yesterday that it discovered a case in which a public servant allegedly provided false information to fraudulently obtain more than 120,000 patacas in family subsidy.
According to the CCAC, the case involves a light vehicle driver working for the Office of the President of the Court of Final Appeal (TUI). The anti-graft body received a report claiming the driver had submitted inaccurate information in subsidy applications, the statement said.
The statement did not say for how long the subsidy fraud remained undetected.
Following an investigation, the CCAC discovered that the driver had been living for years with his wife, father-in-law and mother-in-law, the statement said. Despite knowing that his father-in-law held full-time employment with a stable monthly income, and that both parents-in-law were receiving old-age pensions, the driver allegedly declared otherwise, the statement added.
The statement noted that the combined annual income of the parents-in-law exceeded the per-capita income threshold required to qualify for the subsidy. Nevertheless, the driver reportedly submitted an “Application Form for Family Subsidy” and supporting documents containing bogus information to his employer, according to the statement.
Through these declarations, the driver allegedly obtained more than 120,000 patacas in family subsidy payments, the statement said, adding that the individual is suspected of fraud involving a large amount of money under the Penal Code.
The case has been referred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for further handling, while his employer has also been notified, the statement noted.
According to the statement, the CCAC stressed that the family subsidy scheme is intended to assist public servants with the living expenses of their family members, adding that public servants must declare information truthfully and accurately and should not attempt to obtain subsidies through false declarations.
Meanwhile, the Court of Final Appeal said in a statement yesterday that it has immediately put the driver under investigation, following notification from the CCAC, proceeding with the investigation in a legal, fair and rigorous manner. The statement added that the court will take this case as a lesson, aiming to reinforce disciplinary rigour and legal awareness among its staff, and conducting a thorough review of internal management and supervisory mechanisms to ensure the rigorous application of the family allowance allocation system.
The TUI statement emphasised that if any illegality or disciplinary breach by the individual is confirmed, the staff member will face “severe penalties”.
This image downloaded from the Commissions Against Corruption (CCAC) website yesterday shows its offical logo.
