Chinese gambling trial begins in Macau | IXGAMES
A former senior official went on trial Monday charged with taking $100 million in kickbacks in the Chinese gambling resort of Macau, where analysts warned organized crime was once again taking root. Former Transport and Public Works Secretary Ao Man-long was arrested last December and faces 76 counts of taking bribes, money-laundering and abuse of power. He is the highest official ever charged with corruption and the graft trial is the biggest since the territory returned to Chinese rule in 1999. Ao arrived at a packed court in a convoy of police and prison vehicles Monday morning. He is being tried by a three-judge panel at Macau’s highest court—the Court of Final Appeal—because of his seniority. The former minister could face up to 25 years in jail if convicted. 
Anti-corruption officials allege that Ao took kickbacks in return for approving lucrative land deals for at least three developers hoping to cash in on a property boom in Macau, which last year raked in more gambling revenue than Las Vegas. In a four-month investigation, anti-graft officials said they uncovered assets worth about 800 million patacas ($100 million), or 57 times more than Ao’s family income over the seven-year period.
