Former Macau junket boss and founder of Suncity Group Alvin Chau, in a purported open letter to President Xi Jinping, has pleaded for a reduction in his 18-year prison sentence imposed by the Court of First Instance in January this year. Chau, accused of leading a criminal syndicate, was sentenced on charges of engaging in illicit gambling activities, fraud, and involvement in a criminal organization.
Chau was one of 13 former Suncity employees convicted in January, with jail terms ranging from five months suspended to Chau’s 18 years, with eight employees sentenced to 10 years or more.
The former junket boss was accused of defrauding the government of billions of patacas in tax revenues. In a letter obtained by IAG, Chau describes himself as a humble “silent and unknown person” who worked selflessly and hard to help transform a “small fishing port” into a “world center of tourism and leisure.”
“On 26 November 2021, I was taken away by the Macau police for triad crimes and internet gambling. I know very well that these are not violent crimes. I was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment in the first trial. My sentence was not changed in the recent appeal to the Intermediate Court,” Chau wrote in the letter.
He addressed the charges noting that throughout the trial, “there was no evidence to prove that I had ordered other defendants to engage in illegal activities.” He further said that there was no witness testimony or documents to prove that any defendants received any illegal proceeds.
In the letter, he adds: “We face sentences of more than 10 years of imprisonment. Those who are involved in the case and their family members have collapsed. In general casino crimes do not involve violence and are usually at most worth a few years of imprisonment, so why is the crime in this case so serious? No legal practitioner can explain this.”
Chau further addressed the charges of betting under the table saying that he has nearly 10 years of communication records in his cell phone, in which he never discussed with anyone about organizing how to collect accounts or lend money, and never talked about the flow of funds or the distribution of benefits.
The businessman also addresses the overseas VIP room business charges, saying that it was about “electronic betting” rather than “online betting”, and that “all bets were placed in physical casinos.”
“At that time, the mainland was cracking down on illegal activities such as offshore gambling, telecommunications fraud, illegal finance, illegal fund transfers, and so on. […] I strongly believe that netheir I nor my company have a connection with these illegal activities. Suncity’s core business was to operate VIP rooms, and more than 90% of its business was in Macau. Is this enough to be sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment?” he wrote.
“There were no victims, no loss of property, no casualties, no corruption, it is just a casino case. We were sentenced to a total of 121 years of imprisonment in the case, breaking the record for Macau sentences since the establishment of the casino industry,” Chau added, as per IAG.
The letter concludes with an appeal to Xi, calling him “the greatest President in the history of our country” and China’s spiritual leader. “We just need a fair and normal verdict,” the letter says. “I am really overwhelmed by the situation, and I only hope to salvage the disaster that has happened to all of us, so I make this plea in an audacious manner.”
