Andrew Demetriou, director of Crown Resorts and an ex-AFL boss, has faced accusations of dishonesty in evidence he has given as part of the inquiry into the Australian casino giant’s operations after denying reading from notes, although there was enough video evidence suggesting he was doing so.
Mr Demetriou has not denied that he had used written notes at the time when he gave evidence on October 12th. He has also admitted reading from the notes while facing questioning regarding potential money laundering at Crown Resorts. The Australian gambling giant’s director, however, rejected accusations of giving other evidence while reading from notes.
As mentioned above, Mr Demetriou confessed he used a note containing information regarding the term “culture”, which was downloaded from the Internet. He, however, denied reading from the note at the time he gave evidence yesterday. Crown Resorts’ director also disagreed with the claims he had not been acting with “honesty and integrity”.
Crown Resorts’ executive was also questioned about inaccuracies in the evidence regarding money laundering, as well as his close relationship with James Packer, the largest shareholder in the Australian gambling operator. The questions involved an email, in which he told Mr Packer he would take care not only of the best interest of the company but of the casino magnate as well.
Demetriou Caught Reading from Notes While Giving Evidence in Casino Inquiry
The inquiry that is being held by the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) was given a start after a number of media reports in 2019. It is now investigating the suitability of Crown Resorts and its associates to hold the operating licence for the new Barangaroo casino in Sydney, which is expected to become operational by the end of 2020.
The footage displaying how Mr Demetriou looked down while giving evidence and appeared to be reading was displayed twice. He, however, turned down accusations of reading something from the notes.
Commissioner Patricia Bergin said that Mr Demetriou looked like being secretly prompted during the evidence. Still, she further shared that the notes were intended as a neutral prompt helping the Crown Resort’s director give accurate evidence.
During his grilling, Mr Demetriou admitted there were 100 to 102 suspicious transactions at two of the subsidiaries of Crown Resorts, associated with high-roller payments handling. The note, which he admitted reading while answering the Commissioner’s questions on October 12th, referred to 102 instances of suspected money laundering.
Each of the two instances involved gamblers who made multiple deposits within 72 hours. The deposits, however, were kept under the AU$10,000 threshold at which money transactions with gambling operators are required to be reported to AUSTRAC, the country’s financial intelligence body.
The counsel assisting the commission, Scott Aspinall, suggested that there must have been at least 204 transactions and Demetriou agreed. The latter was also asked his suspected dependency in making decisions as Crown Resorts’ director.
- Author
Olivia Cole
