Alleged Chinese Concerns About Sheldon Adelson and CIA Connections Surface
Reports of Chinese officials' suspicions that American gambling mogul Sheldon Adelson and the CIA were working together to trap corrupt government officials have surfaced.
The confidential report commissioned in 2010 by Adelson's Sands China Ltd., which raised concerns about the local government's resistance to gambling, revealed that the Chinese government believed Adelson was in cahoots with the intelligence services to spy on public officials stealing public funds and using them in Macau.
This information was kept hidden for five years until it was discovered by the University of California's Investigative Reporting Program.
The report explicitly instructed that it not be shown to mainland China.
Recently, the report came to light during a wrongful dismissal case in Las Vegas involving the former CEO of Adelson's Sands Macau operation.
Macau - Hotbed of US Spying Activity
According to the report, many Chinese officials believed that US intelligence agencies were highly active in Macau, with Macau casinos as their base of operations.
The report further claimed that Sands Macau itself was targeted by the Chinese authorities.
"A reliable source has reported that central Chinese government officials believe that Sands has permitted CIA/FBI agents to operate from within its facilities. These agents "monitor mainland government officials" who gamble in the casinos, it added.
"This source also reported that several PRC (People's Republic of China) government bodies have reported 'evidence' of 'US agents', operating from Sands, 'luring' and 'entrapping' mainland government officials, involved in gaming, to coerce them into cooperating with US government interests."
Sands' Response
In response to allegations that Sands was collaborating with the US intelligence services, Sands' senior VP for global communications and corporate affairs, Ron Reese, told The Guardian:
"As for the document's narrative that Sands is a front for US intelligence efforts, well that sounds like an idea for a movie script. Unfortunately for conspiracy theorists, what has emerged, as the company has maintained all along, is a document that Steve Jacobs actually ordered for his own personal purposes and is simply a collection of meaningless speculation. In essence, it is much ado about nothing."
The Controversial Courtroom Saga
The report's release is the latest turn in a complicated legal drama involving Adelson's one-time right-hand man in Macau.
Jacobs claimed to have been fired after protesting against "excessive" payments made to a Macau legislator.
Although Adelson approved a $700,000 payment to Leonel Alves, both Jacobs and company lawyers found the large sums concerning, as they might violate US bribery laws.
Fear of Chinese Officials' Involvement in Macau
It's no secret that the Chinese government has long been hostile towards Macau.
President Xi Jinping has cracked down on corruption, with an emphasis on public officials, and has also enforced financial restrictions on mainland visitors travelling to the gambling hub.
This resulted in a significant decline in 'VIP' traffic, severely affecting casinos like Sands Macau, and the overall Chinese economy.
The report also highlighted the Chinese government's concerns about their officials taking public funds to Macau for gambling, a long-held concern.
However, it now appears that the Beijing government is also anxious about the potential for the CIA to capture these officials.
"There is a widely held perception amongst officials that Sands serves the interests of the US government in Macau," the report indicated.
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