Macau’s Court of Second Instance upholds 18-year prison sentence for Alvin Chau

As the former head of the now-defunct Suncity Group Ltd., a Macau casino junket, Alvin Chau Cheok Wa’s 18-year prison sentence was upheld by the Macau Court of Second Instance. This ruling, which was made public on Friday, came to this result. The sentences of a number of co-defendants were reduced.

The Macau government and local casino operators avoided having to pay HKD8.67 billion (US$1.08 billion) in compensation after Mr. Chau and the other defendants were cleared of fraud charges.

Both Mr. Chau and Philip Wong Pak Ling, the former head of Suncity Group’s finance department, were found guilty of aggravating money laundering. Along with seven other defendants, they were ordered to pay the Macau government about HKD25.51 billion in compensation for their earnings from illicit gambling and money laundering activities.

In January, Mr. Chau received a sentence of eighteen years in prison for a number of charges, which included money laundering, illegal gambling, fraud, and criminal association. The Court of Second Instance upheld the sentences for nine defendants, including Mr. Chau, for criminal association, illegal gambling, proxy betting, and under-the-table betting—also referred to as the “multiplier.”

According to the court, Mr. Chau’s company made at least HKD7.21 billion via online or proxy betting and more than HKD17.66 billion from illegal “under-the-table” betting activities. It was also found that Mr. Chau and other individuals had profited from money laundering schemes to the tune of about HKD617.0 million and CNY17.0 million (US$2.3 million).

One defendant, Cheung Ling Ling, was sentenced to five years in prison for her participation in money laundering, even though the lower court had cleared her in January. She was in charge of Suncity Group’s asset management and had previously served a seven-year term in mainland China for Suncity-related offenses.

The sentences of four other criminals were reduced from 15 to 12 and a half years. These individuals are still able to appeal to the Court of Final Appeal in Macau.

Original story by: GGRAsia