The case against Suncity Group former CEO Alvin Chau and 20 other defendants draws to a close as all testimonies from witnesses have already been heard and the final arguments are scheduled for November 21.
Alvin Chau Challenges Evidence Presented by the Defense
Ex-CEO of Suncity Group Alvin Chau and his lawyer have been challenging the evidence presented by the prosecutor and the Judiciary Police (PJ) since the start of the trial two months ago.
Chau and his lawyer argued that the evidence materials offered by the defense in connection with the charges of proxy betting run by Suncity Group and Alvin Chau in particular are subjective and prejudiced.
According to the prosecution, Alvin Chau was involved in about 40,000 side-betting operations in 229 VIP rooms at Macau casinos. However, Chau’s defender argued that this has been concluded only based on about 20-30 text messages retrieved from Chau’s mobile phone.
Chau’s attorney further noted that the data on proxy betting at 229 VIP rooms have been derived from two records coming from Suncity Group’s Rollsmary system. Consequently, it is clear that cross-checking information in these records will bring forward the same results.
Chau also noted that there is no way a single report can prove Suncity Group’s and his own involvement in under-the-table betting operations at 229 VIP rooms in Macau.
Furthermore, Suncity Group operated only 20 VIP rooms at Macau casinos during the period in question so the defense does not see how Chau can be charged for proxy betting operations in 200 other VIP rooms.
It was also revealed that the police had not investigated a great deal of the VIP rooms as most of them had already been closed during the time the investigation procedures began.
Alvin Chau Claims He Has Not Received Any Commission from Side Bets
During the trial, Chau’s defender also pointed out that the prosecution has not presented any factual evidence that Chau has received any funds in connection with the alleged side-betting operations he is being charged for.
What the investigation has shown so far is that the profits from the proxy betting operations were transferred to one of the other 20 defendants – Cheong Chi Kin. The defendant already admitted to running a side betting scheme via a separate company from Suncity Group during his testimony in the trial.
So far it has not been proven that any other individual received money from these proxy betting operations. However, the investigation is still ongoing and revelations may come at a later stage.