Closing arguments in Alvin Chau case likely Nov 21: judge

Nov 07, 2022 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck  

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Closing arguments in the case concerning former Macau junket operator Suncity Group’s boss Alvin Chau Cheok Wa (pictured in a file photo) are likely to take place on November 21, said on Monday the presiding judge, Lou Ieng Ha, as cited by the Chinese-language service of the city’s public broadcaster, TDM.

Mr Chau and 20 other defendants face charges of illegal gaming, criminal association, fraud, and money laundering. Mr Chau is also charged with leading a criminal group. The indictment had stated the junket business led by Mr Chau had for years run in Macau under-the-table betting for high rollers, known as the “multiplier”.

In a Monday session, judge Lou said she expected all remaining witnesses to have testified by November 18. A total of 92 witnesses has been asked to testify in relation to the trial.

The first session of the trial took place on September 2, but the proceedings were adjourned to September 19, over the absence of a defendant.

The defendants are 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 reviewed by GGRAsia.

All of the city’s casino concessionaires – except Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd – are complainants in the case, claiming millions of U.S. dollars from the defendants. The defendants’ alleged multiplier scheme meant that the city’s casino operators could have lost as much as HKD2.28 billion in gaming revenue, according to calculations by the city’s casino regulator that were also included in the indictment.

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