Disgraced junket operator Levo Chan’s 14-year prison sentence has been reduced by one year, Inside Asian Gaming (IAG) reports. The Court of Second Instance made its ruling yesterday.
The specialist gaming publication says the court also acquitted Chan – formerly the chairman of Tak Chun Group – and his four fellow defendants of fraud, meaning they no longer have to pay a collective HK$570 million (US$70.5 million) to five of the city’s gaming concessionaires.
The new ruling mirrors the court’s earlier decision in the case of former Suncity boss, Alvin Chau – who was deemed not guilty of defrauding the concessionaires but had all other charges relating to financial wrongdoing upheld. Chau is currently serving 18 years behind bars.
However, Chan and his fellow defendants – like Chau – had the money they owe Macao’s government substantially increased. They now owe HK$2.5 billion (US$310 million), reports IAG.
[See more: Convicted Suncity boss purportedly pens an open letter to Xi Jinping]
The four other defendants in Chan’s case are each serving prison sentences of between seven and ten years.
Recent years have seen the junket sector beset with scandal, with several high profile convictions following allegations of illicit gaming activities, money laundering, criminal syndication and more.
Earlier this year, the government announced it would halve the number of licensed junket operators in the SAR.
It has also drafted a bill that could see gambling laws tightened through explicitly prohibiting online and parallel betting.
