Summit Ascent Holdings, the majority owner of Russian integrated resort Tigre de Cristal and an investor in Suncity Group’s Manila hotel and casino project, has announced the resignation of Philip Wong Pak Ling as a non-executive director.
His departure follows the resignation of the company’s Chairman Alvin Chau this week after being arrested by Macau’s Judiciary Police and sent to Coloane prison to await trial for alleged criminal association, illegal gambling and money laundering.
Wong, a former executive at Melco Resorts’ Altira Macau and at Galaxy Entertainment Group, is also Chief Financial Officer of Suncity Group, the majority owner of Summit Ascent.
In a filing late Thursday, Summit Ascent said Wong had tendered his resignation due to his departure being “in the best interests of the Company, and also allow him to devote more time for his personal matters.”
Both Suncity and Summit Ascent this week denied allegations made by authorities in mainland China recently that Tigre de Cristal had been involved in cross border-gambling activities by sending officers to solicit customers in China for its gaming operations.
“The Board would like to clarify that such allegation is untrue,” it said. “None of the directors, officers or staff of any members of the Group has engaged in the solicitation for customers in the PRC for the gaming operations of Tigre de Cristal.”
Public Security departments in China’s Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces last month claimed to have broken up a cross-border gambling ring it said was organising Chinese citizens to gamble at Summit Ascent’s Vladivostok IR, with 75 suspects sent for prosecution.
