Crown ‘lied’ in Victoria, evidence of money laundering in Perth
Elouise Fowler and Brad Thompson, 17 May 2021
Crown Resorts management “lied” and used delay tactics to stymie an investigation into the 2016 arrests of 19 China-based staff, the Victorian gambling regulator told the Crown Resorts royal commission on Monday.
Timothy Bryant, an investigator at the gambling watchdog, told the Victorian inquiry that Crown’s stonewalling meant it took longer to uncover the truth about the gambling giant’s failure to protect its staff, 16 of whom were jailed for illegally promoting gambling in China.
“I certainly consider that they [Crown], at times, they lied to me at interviews about what they were aware of and what they weren’t aware of,” Mr Bryant revealed to the inquiry, which is examining Crown’s suitability to hold its Melbourne casino licence.
Meanwhile, at the royal commission into Crown Resorts in Perth, which is running at the same time, it was revealed Western Australia’s gaming watchdog opted for a “wait and see” approach after being handed information from Crown Resorts indicating that more than 50 individuals may have been involved in money laundering at the Perth casino.
Crown’s disclosure that criminals may have been using the accounts of subsidiary Riverbank to launder money was contained in an information pack sent to Gaming and Wagering Commission on December 14 last year, according to evidence presented to the WA royal commission.
