WA Royal Commission extends inquiry into Crown Perth
The WA government has announced that Western Australia’s Royal Commission into Crown Perth will be extended until March 2022 to give commissioners more time to carry out investigations.
Australia.- The Western Australian Royal Commission into Crown Perth will continue until March 2022 after requesting an extension to continue its inquiry into the company’s suitability to continue holding a casino gaming licence.
It follows a similar decision for Victoria’s Royal Commission, which will continue until October 15 after the government approved judge Raymond Finkelstein’s request for an extension.
The WA Royal Commission was expected to deliver a final report by November 14 but Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said: “The state government believes that public interest will be best served if the Perth casino Royal Commission has sufficient time to produce its final report.”
Former Supreme Court justices Neville Owen and Lindy Jenkins together with former auditor-general Colin Murphy have already sent an interim report to the governor of Western Australia.
Owen said: “So far as we are aware, this is the first time since the grant of the casino licence in 1988 that there has been an inquiry into these issues and given social changes in over 30 years, there is an increased importance to an inquiry of this kind.
“We will be concerned with grave matters of private and public interest and we enter into this investigation with that firmly in mind.”
Western Australian’s regulator has already prohibited Crown Resorts from running high-roller activities at its Perth casino.
Star Entertainment withdraws offer for Crown Resorts
Star Entertainment Group has withdrawn its offer to buy Crown Resorts following suggestions that the operator should lose its casino licence for Crown Melbourne.
In May, Star Entertainment made an unsolicited non-binding offer of AU$12bn (US$9.4bn) for the casino operator. However, Adrian Finanzio, the counsel assisting Victoria’s Royal Commission into Crown Resorts, has told the inquiry that Crown should lose its Melbourne licence.
Finanzio said that evidence against Crown showed “serious misconduct, illegal conduct and highly inappropriate conduct.”
Star Entertainment said: “Issues raised at Victoria’s Royal Commission into Crown Melbourne have the potential to materially impact the value of Crown, including whether it retains the license to operate its Melbourne casino or the conditions under which its license is retained.”
