The Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) government Saturday appointed two delegates to participate in the operation of Banco Delta Asia (BDA), a bank accused by the US government of money-laundering.

 

A government press release said owing to "the abnormal circumstances" in relation to the withdrawal of customer deposits of BDA, the MSAR government made the assignment "to safeguard the financial stability" of the region.

 

Stuart Levey, the US Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI), Thursday said in his report published on the web-page of the Department of Treasury that BDA has aided the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in series of money-laundering cases.

 

The US official, in his report, also slammed the MSAR for its laxness in curbing of money laundering.

 

The BDA, established in Macao in 1935, currently operates eight branches and four offices in the MSAR and Delta Asia Financial Group, BDA's parent company, has subsidiaries and offices in Hong Kong, Tokyo and the Chinese city of Zhuhai.

 

The US official's assumption has produced a shaky situation for the bank, as the total withdrawal has reached 300 million patacas (US$37.5 million) till late Saturday, donning 10 percent of its deposit.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2005)