Alvin Chau’s legal battle takes new turn as Macau Prosecutor’s Office files appeal

The former chairman of the now-defunct junket operator Suncity Group, Alvin Chau, is the subject of an appeal that the Macau Prosecutor’s Office has filed with the Court of Final Appeal.

In an attempt to overturn an October ruling by the Macau Court of Second Instance that upheld Chau and other Suncity executives’ appeal and dismissed fraud charges pertaining to purported “betting under the table” in former Suncity junket rooms, the appeal aims to re-file the fraud charges against Chau.

Chau was found guilty of massive fraud in the first fraud indictment, which was first decided by the Court of First Instance. As a consequence, he was imprisoned and awarded a sizeable compensation judgment. However, the most recent decision from the Court of Second Instance not only overturned the restitution judgment but also increased the amount Chau and his co-defendants had to pay the Macau government four times over due to new accusations of money laundering, totaling HK$25 billion (US$3.2 billion).

The Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal seeking to uphold the first charge of serious fraud and increase Chau’s penalties, which include paying back Macau’s concessionaires HK$2.08 billion (US$266 million) in compensation. The matter is currently pending in Macau’s courts, after Chau’s arrest in November 2021 on charges of fraud, treason, and illegal gambling. This judicial ordeal is far from over.

Original story by: IAG