The prosecutor in the Alvin Chau and Suncity case has proposed last-minute changes to the indictment, causing the court to postpone closing statements which were initially set for November 21st.
The new date for closing statements has been set for November 29th.
According to Macau Business, the nature of the changes was not explained to the court on Thursday, but the scope covers at least 100 charges against the 21 defendants in the case.
The defendants have been accused of illicit gambling activities, running a criminal syndicate, fraud and money laundering.
In the Thursday hearing, a witness for the defense testified that defendant Au Wang Tong was “mentally tortured” and driven to the point of suicide during his period of detention by mainland Chinese authorities, notes the publication.
Au, as well as Alvin Chau, were not among the 36 individuals convicted in a Wenzhou court in September in the Suncity-linked case, but they are expected to be handled in a separate case by mainland authorities.
Au is unable to appear in court in Macau due to being restricted from leaving the mainland, the court was told by Au’s girlfriend.
In the Macau court case, Au is suspected of having help to create illegal cash accounts in Suncity VIP rooms and promoting gaming in the mainland.
Testifying on Thursday, Au’s girlfriend, Lao Ian Ian, said Au was detained at the Macau-Zhuhai border in December 2020 while returning home from a trip to the mainland. After consulting a lawyer, Lao learned he had been arrested and detained, but was unable to learn his whereabouts for three months.
During this period he was questioned about the details of his work and his employer and “mentally tortured”, claims Lao.
After the three-month period, Au was sent to a detention center in Wenzhou but not allowed visitation, with Lao saying she only saw him upon his release in March of 2022.
Lao described Au’s treatment as “unfair”, noting he was just a “low-level” worker at Suncity, questioning why other similar-level employees and superiors were not indicted, notes the publication.
