Court reduces jail terms of former Macau junket boss Levo Chan
The Court of Second Instance has reduced the jail terms of Levo Chan and two other defendants while dismissing fraud charges against them.
Macau.- The Court of Second Instance has revised the sentences of former junket boss Levo Chan and other defendants involved in a high-profile illicit gambling case.
The court reduced Chan’s prison term from 14 to 13 years while rejecting the Prosecutions Office’s appeal for harsher penalties. Due to this, the defendants were acquitted of fraud charges related to a significant amount.
The intermediate court upheld convictions for other offences, including participation in a secret society, organized crime, illicit gaming activities, and money laundering.
Despite the acquittal on fraud charges, the five defendants are no longer obligated to compensate the six gaming concessionaires, contrary to the lower court’s ruling. Chan had previously been ordered to pay nearly HKD779.7m (US$99.3m) in compensation to the government and casino operators.
However, the court decided to increase the SAR Government’s payment. The defendants are now required to pay MOP2.49bn for illicit gains resulting from under-the-table gambling activities.
