Macau's Judiciary Police (PJ) transferred this afternoon 11 people – reportedly including Macau's best-known junket mogul – from their headquarters to the nearby Public Prosecutions Office (MP) in Zape for alleged membership of a criminal organisation, illegal gambling operations, and money laundering.
Their transfer in two police vans took place shortly after a 12-minute press conference about the case at the PJ headquarters that was telecast live by public broadcaster TDM.
The 11 people – nine males and two females – were hooded and handcuffed when they were escorted by PJ officers from the building to the two vehicles outside. 10 of them are from Macau and one from Hong Kong.
As is customary, the police only released the surnames of those who had been questioned since yesterday. One of them from Macau is surnamed Chau.
The case came to light after the Public Security Bureau (PSB) in Wenzhou city, Zhejiang province, has issued an arrest warrant for a person identified as Zhou Zhuohua on Friday. According to Macau's customary Cantonese-Portuguese transliteration system, the name is spelt Chau Cheok-wa.
According to local, Hong Kong and international newswire reports, one of those who were taken to the PJ headquarters yesterday is Alvin Chau Cheok-wa, the founder and CEO of Suncity, one of Macau's major casino junket operators. Reporters who covered the press conference and transfer said that Chau was transported from the PJ headquarters to those of the MP in one of two vehicles, while the 10 others were transported in the other one.
A PJ spokesman said the 11 people were possibly facing organised crime, illegal gambling and money laundering charges. A number of addresses were searched by the police yesterday where they seized about 3 million patacas in cash in various currencies as well as a quantity of documents and computers.
According to Macau's Portuguese-style legal system, suspects are not charged with a crime by the police but by the Public Prosecution. It is up to an examining magistrate to decide on a suspect's bail and other pre-trial conditions.
The 11 hooded and handcuffed people questioned by the Judiciary Police (PJ) are escorted by PJ officers from the PJ headquarters to two vehicles outside the building in Zape district this afternoon to be transported to the nearby headquarters of the Public Prosecutions Office (MP). Photo: Camy Tam
