Macau’s Court of Final Appeal has rejected an appeal by former Suncity Group CEO Alvin Chau, upholding his original 18-year jail term.
The decision was announced on Wednesday, with eight other co-appellants having their appeals shot down.
Alvin Chau, Si Tou Chi Hou, Cheung Yat Ping Ellute, Ali Celestino, Cheong Chi Kin, Chau Chun Hee, Lou Seak Fong, Wong Pak Ling Philip and Leong Su Weng were originally sentenced by the Court of Second Instance to between 9 and 18 years’ imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the prosecution’s appeal for a harsher sentence has been rejected.
In November last year, prosecutors sought to reinstate a fraud conviction against some of the defendants handed down by the city’s lowest court, which had been overturned by the intermediate court.
Under the new ruling, the defendants are required to pay a total of HKD24.865 billion (MOP25.61 billion/ US$3.18 billion) to the Macao Special Administrative Region.
