https://aasheim.top/template/a/www.industrysuper.com
 
Skip to Main Content
 

Alvin Chau Appears in Macau Court, But Nine Suncity Accused Don’t Show


Former Suncity supremo Alvin Chau was led into a Macau courtroom Friday. It was his first public appearance since his on charges of illegal gaming, criminal association, fraud, and money laundering.

Alvin ChauAlvin Chau addresses reporters prior to his November 2021 arrest. The former Suncity chairman and CEO made his first public appearance in a Macau courtroom Friday. (Image: Exmoo.com)

Suncity was the biggest junket operator in Macau, with a 40% share in an industry that, at its height in 2014, drove around 60% of the gambling hub’s US$45 billion revenues.

Chau’s arrest all but torpedoed the junket industry, which had already been weakened by tightening controls on Macau’s casino industry by the Politburo in Beijing.

Twenty others are charged with Chau in Macau for their roles in Suncity operations, while another 35 Suncity agents to “gambling crimes” at a court in Wenzhou on the mainland last month.

But just nine of Chau’s 20 fellow defendants, mostly senior and middle management Suncity executives, turned up to the preliminary hearing Friday. This prompted the Judge Lou Ieng Ha to adjourn the case until September 19.

Dressed to the Nines

Chau appeared dressed in “dapper-style suits,” according to Macau Business. But neither he nor his fellow defendants had the opportunity to speak.

A lawyer for one of the missing defendants, former head of Suncity’s finance operations Philip Wong Pak Ling, claimed his client was in the hospital. It was unclear when he would be discharged, the lawyer said.

Judge Lou said there were no official documents to justify Wong’s absence and ordered him to pay financial penalties, MB reported.

MB has learned that other absentees are concerned about the court setup, and have filed written objections to some of the constraints that are in place.

Because of COVID-19 measures and the large number of defendants, each of the accused is restricted to just one lawyer present in court. That s a departure from the normal practice.

Judge Lou, who heads a three-judge trial panel, berated some of the defendants’ lawyers for their objections to the situation, accusing them of being “uncooperative.”

She rejected calls for the public gallery to be transformed into an area for additional legal representatives. She said that was because it was not in the interests of the public to have the trial behind closed doors.

Lou said the court will inform all defendants again to attend the next session.

Billion-Dollar Tax Dodge

Chau and his fellow defendants are accused of operating a criminal syndicate that cheated the Macau government out of about HKD8.26 billion (US$1.05 billion) in tax revenue from 2013 to 2021.

High rollers transported into Macau casinos by Suncity were offered private “multiplier bets,” where stakes on each official bet placed at a casino were multiplied by the junket group on the sly and settled later, tax-free.

Five of Macau’s six casino licensees are complainants in the case. The proceedings are expected to address more than 15,000 pages of documents and call 92 witnesses to testify.

What's your question?

warning Your question will be sent directly to the fund you select

Talk to someone who knows how to help

warning Your question will be sent directly to the fund you select

  • You will be called back at the next available opportunity.

Thank you for your enquiry

An error has occurred

Due to a technical fault we are unable to to submit your form at the moment. Please try again later.

Additional details:

Pennsylvania Regulators Say Online Gambling Likely to Start in Early Summer  MLS Las Vegas Expansion Odds Strong, League Commissioner Reveals  Petersburg, Virginia Casino Bills Gain Support, Seek Budget Inclusion  Black Friday Indictee Paul Tate Avoids Prison Sentence  Sheldon Adelson in ‘Dire’ Health, Says Lawyer, LVS Confirms Lymphoma Treatment  Poker Cheating Scandal Investigation Reveals its Findings  FIFA World Cup: France and Argentina to Battle for Championship  Before Ushering In Fixed-Odds, US Horse Racing Must Fix Its Safety Issues – Opinion  Casino Owner Phil Ruffin was ‘Kansas Businessman’ in Michael Cohen Hearing  PointsBet, NBA Star Shaq Get Dubious Honor for Worst TV Spot in Australia