Some Australian Border Force’ and Department of Home Affairs’ senior officials have been called as witnesses to the federal law enforcement regulator’s public hearings against local gambling and casino behemoth Casino Resorts.
The public hearings are set to be held by the end of the week by the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) for the first time as part of its probe into the Department of Home Affairs and Crown Resorts’ staff members over allegations of corruption raised by the agency. The watchdog launched an inquiry after several local media unveiled information regarding alleged links between the gambling brand’s Australian casinos and some Asian criminal organisations.
As previously reported by Casino Guardian, a number of local news hubs have claimed that special private protection had been provided by Andrew Ure, a serving Australian Border Force official, to an international fugitive who was one of the recruited visitors of the Crown’s VIP rooms. An investigation has also revealed close links between the casino giant and Australian consulate and visa officials in China, who have been accused of offering fast-tracked visas for affluent Chinese citizens who would like to travel to Australia and gamble in Crown Resort’s Perth and Melbourne casinos.
ACLEI is one of the six agencies investigating Crown Resorts following a series of serious allegations emerged in local media hubs.
Preliminary Witness List Released for the ACLEI Hearings
Earlier today, a preliminary witness list for the ACLEI’s hearings was released. According to the list, Peta Dunn, first assistant secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, Mandy Newton, deputy commissioner of the Australian Border Force (ABF), and Roman Quaedvlieg, former Commissioner of the ABF, will be among the first witnesses called by the watchdog to give evidence on the matter.
Mr, Quaedvlieg, who was dismissed from his job for misbehaviour in March 2018, has revealed that two ministers and another Member of Parliament tried to persuade him to relax border security for Chinese high-roller gamblers who were visiting Crown’s Australian casinos at the time. According to his claims, Crown’s lobbyists have insisted that casino VIP customers should be given the chance to land on private jets at the Melbourne airport and take advantage of relaxed customs control.
The last few months have seen pressure on Crown Resorts increase since the Australian gambling operator was reported to have been working in collaboration with junket operators that have had links to Chinese criminal organisations and international criminals.
So far, Crown Resorts has denied the allegations, with the entire board of the gambling company signing a letter that called the media reports against the group “sensationalised and unbalanced”. The executive chairman of the company, John Alexander, describing the information included in the reports as highly exaggerated. Crown Resorts has refused to unveil whether any of its executives have been required to take part in the watchdog’s hearings.
Crown Resorts to Face a Hearing Held By NSW Gaming Watchdog, Too
The ACLEI hearings are not the only ones that the gambling operator will face. As part of a separate inquiry in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Crown Resorts is to face more public hearings regarding the capability of the gambling giant to run a casino venue that is currently being built in Barangaroo.
The state’s Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority started a probe against the casino company and is set to investigate a variety of issues. One of the most commented ones would be James Packer’s decision to sell an almost 20% stake in Crown Resorts to Lawrence Ho, owner of the leisure, gambling and entertainment company Melco International.
According to reports, the sale could have breached the Barangaroo casino license of Crown Resorts, as Lawrence Ho’s father, Mr Stanley Ho, is not allowed to get involved in Barangaroo’s casino operations because of alleged links to Chinese criminal organisations. These allegations have always been denied by Mr Ho Sr., but his son Lawrence was, in fact, heading another company banned from Barangaroo because of links with Stanley Ho.
- Author
Daniel Williams
