Macau ‘junket king’ Alvin Chau makes plea to Chinese President Xi Jinping for ‘fair verdict’ after 18-year jail sentence
- Former Suncity Group CEO pleas with Chinese president for ‘fair and normal verdict’ after being sentenced alongside 12 others
- ‘President Xi, you are the greatest president in our country’s history … We just need a fair and normal verdict,’ Chau says
Macau casino magnate Alvin Chau Cheok-wa has written an open letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for a “fair verdict” after being jailed for 18 years over 162 charges of fraud, illegal gambling and criminal association.
The former Suncity Group CEO was sentenced in January after a four-month trial that included 12 other defendants and involved HK$8.2 billion (US$1.05 billion) in lost tax revenue. Chau recently lost an appeal against the judgment.
In the letter dated November 14 and published on Friday by local media, 48-year-old Chau pledged his allegiance to the nation and praised Xi as an exemplary leader.
“President Xi, you are the greatest president in our country’s history and our spiritual leader,” he wrote. “I hope you can speak up for the innocent families. We just need a fair and normal verdict.”
Suncity Group was previously considered the largest junket operator in Macau, acting as a go-between who brought in high rollers on paid trips to casinos, extending them credit and collecting their debts.
The other 12 defendants, many of whom worked for the company, were handed jail terms of up to 15 years for handling almost HK$824 billion in illegal bets and making unlawful gains of HK$21.5 billion from under-the-table wagers between 2013 and 2021.
