Macau’s Court of Final Appeal (TUI) announced yesterday its decision to turn down the appeals filed by nine appellants involved in a string of crimes committed by the now defunct Suncity Group of junket operators.
According to a TUI statement released through the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS), Alvin Chau Cheok Wa’s 18-year prison term will remain unchanged. The eight other appellants’ jail terms will also remain unaltered, ranging from nine years to 12 ½ years respectively.
The court rejected the Public Prosecution’s request to increase the appellants’ prison terms.
The court sentenced the nine appellants to the joint payment of 24.86 billion patacas to the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR).
Alvin Chau, 50, was handed down the 18-year prison term in January 2023 for organised crime leadership and running an illegal gambling business. The co-defendants were sentenced in the same trial.
Macau’s top prison term amounts to 30 years.
This November 9, 2018 file photo shows Suncity Group boss Alvin Chau attending a press conference about Macau’s 3rd International Film Festival & Awards – Photo courtesy of YouTube/Wikimedia Commons
