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By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 11 – 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. Today 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? They 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. In the UN, Ng's South South News paid money to the UN Correspondents Association, got a photo op with the Secretary General, and remained in long after Inner City Press was evicted for pursuing the story in the UN Press Briefing Room. In fact, South South News people still work in the UN.

  We'll have more on this.

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