SYDNEY -- A cousin of Chinese President Xi Jinping is on the radar of investigators probing possible Chinese money laundering through Australian casinos, U.S. and Australian outlets have reported.
Australian Attorney General Christian Porter said this week that he had ordered an independent investigation into fast-tracked visa approvals for Chinese high rollers visiting facilities of major Australian casino operator Crown Resorts. The decision was based on reports that casino "junkets" suspected of being linked to organized crime were funneling Chinese gamblers to Crown casinos.
Ming Chai, a nephew of Xi's mother who has Australian citizenship and frequents Crown casinos, was found aboard a private jet with junket members on Australia's Gold Coast during a search by domestic authorities in 2016. The 60-something Ming is now under investigation as part of broader organized-crime and money laundering probes, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Such Australian news outlets as The Age have reported that domestic authorities are investigating the junkets over possible money laundering connections.
The Department of Home Affairs, which oversees immigration control, has acknowledged that Crown had an arrangement with the government in Canberra to speed up the issuance of short-term visas for Chinese gamblers visiting the company's resorts. Outside investigators probing possible wrongdoing by law enforcement will look into whether corruption played a role in the visa process.
Reports on the matter prompted Crown to say that it "absolutely rejects allegations of illegality," calling them "ill-informed and an attempt to smear the company." It has pledged to fully cooperate "in any investigation."
