The trial of nine defendants from former junket operator Tak Chun in the Court of First Instance (TJB) started yesterday with only the now-defunct company’s ex-boss, Levo Chan Weng Lin, attending.
The court stated that Chan is the only one of the nine defendants who has been remanded in custody. The other eight defendants chose not to be in the dock yesterday.
Nevertheless, the three-judge panel decided to proceed with the trial, which had already been adjourned once because of the absence of defendants.
Chan and his fellow defendants stand accused of a range of serious crimes such as having been part of a criminal and secret organisations, illegal gambling in legal gaming venues (casinos’ VIP rooms), large-scale fraud, money laundering, and usury.
Legal sources told The Macau Post Daily that the case involves alleged parallel and proxy gambling in casino VIP rooms.
The defendants also face a civil case involving four gaming operators (Wynn Resorts (Macao), SJM Resorts, Venetian Macao, MGM Grand Paradise) concerning the non-payment of HK$575 million in gross gaming revenue taxes, according to the TJB.
