Kakavas v Crown Melbourne Ltd & Ors [] HCA 25 is a landmark Australian judgment of the High Court. Court, High Court of Australia. Full case name, Kakavas v Crown Melbourne Ltd. Decided, 5 June Citation(s), [] HCA 25;.
Crown Casino allegedly linked to Asian organised crime -The Drum
But as they occurred in Melbourne and do not go to conduct involving the NSW licence Barangaroo is not yet open there may be questions about jurisdiction and whether Bergin wants to be at the forefront on these issues. While Lawrence Ho has passed scrutiny in the past when Melco and Crown had a joint venture in Macau together, it is likely he will need to clear this hurdle again to become a significant shareholder in the Australian licence. The VCGLR had updated the responsible minister in August and continues to keep the minister briefed as required, he said. Two other inquiries — by the Victorian casino authorities and the public hearings to be held by federal Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, appear to be on hold for the time being, awaiting the results of investigations. Meanwhile, Crown has been fighting a legal battle to stop details of convictions in China against 19 former employees spilling into public as part of a shareholder class action against the company. The question is who wants to go first in investigating that question. The NSW casino legislation also includes broad requirements that close associates of a company which holds a casino licence must be of good repute and not have a business association with persons who are not of good repute. But the broader suitability question is potentially more serious for Crown. But revelations soon after the deal was announced that Lawrence Ho was a director of one of the banned companies, Lanceford, raised immediate questions. That will almost certainly hold up the Victorian inquiry. The NSW inquiry is also looking at a number of issues raised by 60 Minutes and Nine that allegedly go to the probity of Crown itself. Most popular.{/INSERTKEYS}{/PARAGRAPH} Crown has appealed a federal court ruling made in May last year that voided previously secret confidentiality agreements it struck with the employees and allowed the law firm running the case, Maurice Blackburn, to obtain from them witness statements and documents relating to their court cases in China. Reuse this content. Other federal agencies including Austrac and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission are also likely to be involved in investigating money laundering allegations. {PARAGRAPH}{INSERTKEYS}The first of three inquiries into Crown Resorts and the conduct of its casino business kicks off on Tuesday in Sydney, when the former supreme court judge Patricia Bergin is expected to outline how she intends to tackle her task. At the same time, Crown is fighting efforts by shareholders who are suing it in a class action to take witness statements from company employees convicted in China for illegally promoting gambling. The appeal is awaiting judgment before a trial of the class action that is set down for November. The Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity announced that it would hold public hearings to examine allegations that visa officials gave high rollers destined for Crown casino favourable visa treatment, with the former Border Force boss Roman Quaedvlieg set to be the first witness , but abruptly halted its plans just before Christmas. It has satisfied the regulator on the first demand by appointing the former senior NSW police officer Nick Kaldas to advise the board. If Lawrence Ho and Melco were found to be a business associate of his father or not of good repute, he would either have to drop his ambition to own a significant slice of Crown or he could potentially restructure Melco. The clause was inserted into the licence when it was granted in after an adverse finding by New Jersey authorities about Stanley Ho and possible alleged connections with triads in Macau and China. Topics Crown Resorts.