Accused gambling mogul Paul Phua, on trial in US, was convicted in Malaysia for same offence
He was slapped with a hefty fine and left the country soon after his conviction, reportedly to Vietnam to escape people who lost money when the betting operation was going bust.
A former Macau junket operator at the heart of a high-profile, ongoing illegal gambling case in Las Vegas has a prior conviction for the same offence.
Paul Phua Wei-seng, 50, a Malaysian native from Sarawak, was arrested in the Southeast Asian nation in 2004 and convicted for his involvement in an illegal betting scheme during the European Championship soccer tournament, independent news outfit Malaysiakini reported this week, citing police sources.
He was slapped with a hefty fine and left the country soon after his conviction, reportedly to Vietnam to escape people who lost money when the betting operation was going bust.
The report has caused ripples across Malaysia because it follows a controversial announcement last month by Malaysia’s home affairs minister that Phua was assisting the government on issues of national security – but remained vague on how he was doing so.
Phua’s legal team had not replied to questions about the report as of press time.
The Malaysian is currently facing court in Las Vegas, where he stands accused of running an illegal World Cup gambling operation from a number of luxury suites in the city’s Caesars Palace hotel.
An online message found on his computer during a police raid suggested that bets of the alleged operation reached a “grand total” of HK$2.7 billion, according to court documents. US federal prosecutors alleged the group made a profit of US$13 million in June and July on soccer bets.
