Macau junket mogul Alvin Chau Cheok Wa, who according to local police is facing organised crime , illegal gambling and money laundering charges, has been remanded in custody, public broadcaster TDM reported today.
According to the government-owned TV and radio station, an examining magistrate ordered Chau's pre-trial detention this morning, after more than 14 hours of questioning.
The report said that after the interrogation Chau was immediately transported to prison in Coloane.
Chau, executive director, chairman and controlling shareholder of Hong Kong-listed Suncity Group Holdings Limited, was taken in for questioning by the Judiciary Police (PJ) on Saturday morning, together with 10 other suspects and persons of interest, according to a press conference by the Macau Judiciary Police yesterday afternoon.
A PJ spokesman said during the press conference that Chau and the others were facing organised crime, illegal gambling and money laundering charges. As is customary, the Judiciary Police only released the surname and age of each suspect and arrestee.
The arrests and interrogations by Macau police came in the wake of an announcement by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) in Wenzhou city, Zhejiang province, on Friday. According to the announcement, the PSB issued a warrant for Chau's arrest, accusing him of a raft of illegal gambling-related charges.
However, the Judiciary Police insisted during yesterday's press conference that the local police had taken action against Chau and his alleged accomplices independent of the investigations by its counterparts in Wenzhou.
Chau, 47, is reputed to be Macau's top casino junket mogul.
Meanwhile, Suncity Group Holdings Limited said in a statement this morning that trading in its shares on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited "has been halted with effect from 9:00 a.m. on 29 November 2021 pending the release of an announcement in relation to news coverage regarding Mr. Chau Cheok Wa (an executive Director, the chairman of the Board and a controlling shareholder of the Company), which constitutes inside information of the Company."
The statement was posted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange website at 9:04 a.m. The statement was signed by Company Secretary Chiu King Yan.
Another Hong Kong-listed company, Summit Ascent Holdings Limited, said in a separate statement that trading in its shares had been halted with effect from 9:00 a.m. today pending the release of an announcement in relation to news coverage regarding Chau, a non-executive director, board chairman and controlling shareholder of the company.
Macau junket mogul Alvin Chau Cheok Wa (centre) is escorted by PJ officers to a van yesterday afternoon to be transported to the nearby Public Prosecutions Office (MP) in the Macau peninsula's Zape district for further investigations and possible arraignment. – Photo: Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka
