Crown China detainees could be in for a long stay

If there’s one lesson to be learned from the detention in October last year of 18 Crown Resort employees in China (including three visiting VIP marketing execs from the Australian headquarters of the casino company) it is that enforcement can move slowly in China, and it’s best not to mess with the laws on promoting gambling.

Reports from China over the weekend suggest that the 17 Crown people still detained could be looking at another twelve months of imprisonment as investigations into their alleged and still unspecified crimes drag on

“The Chinese investigation is ongoing and could continue for over a year,” said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in a response to questions from media outlet Australian Financial Review.

It was previously thought that the detainees would be advised of the specifics of the charges against them by mid-2017, which would allow for a (relatively) early trial and the possibility that the Australians involved coluld serve their time at home rather than China.

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