Macau billionaire calls U.S. case over U.N. bribe scheme political.
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A Macau billionaire accused of bribing a former United Nations General Assembly president on Thursday accused the U.S. government of prosecuting him for geopolitical reasons to slow China's influence over developing nations.
In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, lawyers for real estate developer Ng Lap Seng said the case appeared intended to silence his advocacy for a conference center in Macau, which would have given developing nations a permanent meeting venue in China.
Ng and his assistant, Jeff Yin, were charged last year for engaging in a bribery scheme with former U.N. General Assembly President John Ashe.
Prosecutors said Ng gave Ashe more than $500,000 in bribes so the diplomat, among other things, would seek U.N. support for the conference center, which Ng's company, Sun Kian Ip Group, would develop.
Classified documents and the authorities' focus on whether an associate of Ng was a Chinese agent demonstrated the U.S. government's motives in charging him, Ng's lawyers wrote.
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