Disgraced former Suncity boss, Alvin Chau, and six other defendants have been acquitted of fraud but must pay greater compensation to the Macao government and the territory’s gaming operators in respect of other crimes.
According to local media reports, the Court of Second Instance has upheld sentencing on Chau and the others with regard to criminal association, taking “under the table” bets and illicit online gambling, and says they must now forfeit almost HK$25 billion in compensation – up from the HK$10 billion or so previously ordered.
The court says the defendants can appeal the judgement at the Court of Final Appeal.
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Chau was sentenced to 18 years in prison in January after being found guilty of more than 100 counts of illicit gambling activities.
His high-profile case signalled the local government’s determination to tighten oversight of junket operators and followed the introduction of a gaming bill that reformed many aspects of casino operations.
In a similar case, a sentence of 14 years was given in April to former junket boss Levo Chan, who was found guilty, after a five-month trial, of more than 30 charges of fraud, money laundering and illicit gaming.
