Shanghai Court Sentences Crown Resorts Employees (Update)

By Brian Cullingworth, Last updated Jun 30, 2017

Hands down jail sentences for promoting gambling in China

Seventeen current and two former Crown Resorts employees, arrested in October 2016 (see previous InfoPowa reports), were sentenced by the Baoshan District Court in Shanghai, Monday.

The court handed down a ten-month jail sentence to Australian Crown Resorts executive vice president of the company’s VIP division, Jason O’Connor, and nine-month prison terms to marketing employees Pan Dan and Jerry Xuan who pleaded guilty to promoting gambling on mainland China, primarily targeting wealthy Chinese high rollers.

The sentences include time already served in detention, Australian Consul General Graeme Meehan said at a press briefing outside the Shanghai court today, which would see O’Connor serve another two months and Dan and Xuan another month each.

It’s unknown what sentences were handed down in the closed Court session to the remaining sixteen accused who comprise Chinese and Malaysian Crown Resorts employees.

“The Australian government has monitored this case very closely,” Meehan said. “We will be continuing to provide consular assistance to the Australians and their families for as long as that’s required.”

More Details On Crown Resorts Sentencing (Update)

Chinese court sends a strong message

More details have emerged on the sentences handed down to Crown Resorts employees by the Baoshan District Court in Shanghai on Monday (see previous InfoPowa reports).

Nineteen Australian and Chinese Crown Resorts employees, detained in October 2016, were charged with promoting and facilitating illegal gambling by Chinese authorities.

Eleven of those were sentenced to nine months in prison and five to 10 months, Crown Resorts said.  The sixteen were also fined a total of 8.62 million Yuan (GBP 992,000), which Crown Resorts will cover ex-gratia.

In addition, the court fined Crown Resorts executive Australian Jason O’Connor 2 million Yuan (GBP 230,000), sentenced him to 10-months in jail and ordered his deportation.

Crown Resorts marketing employees Jenny Pan and Jerry Xuan were fined 400,000 Yuan (GBP 46,000) and 200,000 Yuan (GBP 23,000) respectively.  Both dual Australian-Chinese nationals received a nine-month jail term.

“Crown remains respectful of the sovereign jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China and does not intend to comment further at this time,” the company said in a press statement.

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