Ao Man-long, former secretary for transport and public works in the southern Chinese territory, was found guilty on more than 50 of 76 graft charges including bribe-taking and money laundering.

Macau's Court of Final Appeal ordered him to return 252 million patacas (S$44.5 million) to the government, as well as other properties and assets.

The 51-year-old stood accused of amassing a personal fortune of more than US$100 million by taking kickbacks for 41 public works projects, including contracts linked to casino construction.

The sum is 57 times his family's income during his time in office. Prosecutors said his assets included cash, bank deposits, watches, jewellery and a 300-bottle wine cellar.

'The defendant was one of the top government officials of Macau SAR, the bribes are huge and his behaviour was shocking,' Justice Sam Hou-fai, head of the three-judge panel, told the court.

'It created a negative image of Macau abroad and will damage the reputation of Macau and major government officials,' he said, describing Ao as 'very greedy'.

Ao, who had faced a maximum of 30 years behind bars, stood with his head bowed in court for the whole of Sam?s two-hour judgement. He did not acknowledge the packed public gallery as he was escorted out of the courtroom.

He had denied all wrongdoing throughout the trial. Ao chose not to appear on the stand during the trial, only making a brief statement at the end of proceedings last month.

'I deeply regret all the disturbances that the whole case has caused to the government and the society,' Ao told the court in a slightly trembling voice, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.

Several members of his close family, including his father and brother, are facing separate related charges. Their trial is ongoing.

Ao was arrested in Dec 2006 by the Macau Commission Against Corruption, which prosecuted the high-profile case that has put the spotlight on the casino city.

Last year, the city took in more than US$10 billion of revenues from its casinos, more than the Las Vegas Strip and just shy of the total take by the wider Las Vegas area.

Macau has enjoyed an unprecedented boom since it opened up its casino market in 2001, benefiting from a flood of overseas money, mainly from United States operators desperate to tap into the wealth of the voracious Chinese gambler.

Critics have said much of the sparkling new construction has masked worsening social problems, organised crime and corruption in the city of 550,000.

The charges against Ao were linked to projects ranging from new casinos to bridges.

He also stood accused of laundering money overseas using a network of bank accounts to disguise the transactions and of siphoning public money from the former Portuguese colony via a number of shell companies, including some in Hong Kong set up with the help of his relatives. -- AFP