The defence and the prosecution have respectively appealed against a Macau court’s sentencing decision that encompassed Alvin Chau Cheok Wa, former boss of now-defunct Macau casino junket Suncity Group Ltd. In mid-January, Mr Chau was sentenced to 18 years in prison in aggregate.
Defence and Macau’s Public Prosecution Office have also respectively appealed at the sentences for others accused and convicted in the case, GGRAsia has learnt.
The news of the appeal by the defendants was first reported by the Portuguese-language channel of public broadcaster Radio Macau. The appeals were submitted to the city’s Court of Second Instance.
Mr Chau (pictured in a file photo), aged 48, founder of Suncity Group, had been indicted – with 20 other people – for illegal gaming, criminal association, fraud, and money laundering.
The defendants were accused of running a criminal syndicate that allegedly cheated the Macau government out of about HKD8.26 billion (US$1.05 billion) in tax revenue from 2013 to 2021, according to a copy of the indictment.
In January, Macau’s Court of First Instance said the criminal association charge had been proven against Mr Chau and several other defendants, as well as Mr Chau’s leadership role in the criminal group.
Other charges proven against Mr Chau were: illicit gambling, including operating illicit gambling in authorised venues; and fraud. He was not convicted for money laundering.
Twelve other defendants were convicted on various charges. Eight were sentenced to prison terms ranging from nine to 15 years; four got suspended jail terms. Eight defendants were acquitted of all charges.
According to sources spoken to by GGRAsia, the other defendants sentenced to prison terms had appealed to the higher-instance court by a Tuesday (February 7) deadline.
Mr Chau and six of the convicted defendants have also been ordered to pay over HKD8.67 billion to the Macau government and a number of the city’s casino operators, as a form of compensation.
