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 departure of another director after Dr U Chio Ieong tendered his resignation.
The departure of Dr U, who joined the board in September 2018, comes after Suncity Group CFO Philip Wong Pak Ling also stepped down last week, stating it was “in the best interests of the Company” while “allowing him to devote more time for his personal matters.”
Dr U said he was resigning because he “wishes to devote more time to his other business engagements.”
The Chairman of Summit Ascent and Suncity Group, Alvin Chau, stepped aside last 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.
Both Suncity and Summit Ascent have 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.