We regularly update our app to bring you new features and improvements designed to make your banking experience better. And on December 1, the Suncity high-roller travel business ceased its casino operations in Macau, the place where it all began. But having been effectively called out as an organised crime enabler in Australia, the clock was ticking on Chau. For years, the Chinese Communist Party had allowed Chau to build his junket empire, even though it appeared to conflict with the party’s anti-gambling edicts.
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Discover our hottest rates on loans designed to help you save more as you take the next step in your homeownership or investing journey. The public reporting of Chau’s activities in Australia at the NSW Bergin inquiry and at the Finkelstein royal commission in Victoria placed Chinese authorities in a bind. Over a year earlier, ACIC had added Chau’s junket business – the Suncity firm dealing with Crown and The Star and which was generating billions of dollars in high-roller turnover – to its Australian priority target list.
Minimum monthly payments apply during the interest free period. Offer available in respect of balances transferred from non-Summerland credit card accounts issued in Australia only. Target market determination available on request at our branches. At Summerland Bank, we believe in a friendly, personalised kind of banking. That’s why, in addition to online and phone banking services, we also have a number of local and accessible branches across the Northern Rivers NSW and South East Queensland. Our branches are places where faces are familiar, your needs are understood, and your values are shared.
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When this happens, we make the difficult decision to close some of our less frequented branches. If you’re going through a personal crisis, help is available. If you already get a Centrelink payment, you may be able to get an advance payment. This is money you would be getting from your existing payment but it’s paid early. You may be able to get a payment if you’re in severe financial hardship following extreme circumstances. In an emergency, there are services to help you with food, housing and bills, and emotional support.
He hung up the phone when questioned about Chau and Cheng’s triad links. According to ACIC, Cheng is a senior figure in the powerful Chinese organised crime gang, the 14K Triad. As organised crime detectives in Sydney and Melbourne uncovered similar examples, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission began doing its own work. In late 2012, the Australian Federal Police arrested a Sydney man and charged him with laundering suspected drug funds. When federal detectives examined his financial dealings, they uncovered a $403,000 deposit into a gaming account at The Star Sydney.
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If you’re feeling overwhelmed by money or personal issues, it can be hard to know where to turn. Once your loan is submitted to the loan provider, we usually get an assessment king of the nile pokies decision in hours. Link your card & explore offers via the BankSA App or visit the BankSA Lounge on ShopBack.
- ACIC also believed that Chau had “close links with Chinese triads”.
- Alvin Chau’s life has always been shrouded in intrigue.
- According to media reports, the 47-year-old got his break as a 20-something disciple of Macau organised crime boss Wan “Broken Tooth” Kuok-koi.
- In September, corporate filings reveal that Chau offloaded his last Sun Stud holding to Cheng via a British Virgin Islands company.
Cheng was investing in many of Chau and Suncity’s corporate subsidiaries via offshore companies. Chau’s Australian business flourished between 2012 and 2019, helping to earn him enough capital to finance action movies in Hong Kong and major casino projects in Russia and Asia. Chau’s operation also gave him the ear of the Chinese Communist Party elite who didn’t mind a punt and who, Australian authorities suspected, may also have wanted to quietly move large amounts of money to Australia. We recognise this closure may result in you needing to change the way you bank with us, and we’re here to support you throughout this process. In the meantime, please refer to our ways to bank guide.