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James Packer needs to fire CEO Kenneth Barton to save his $2.2billion Crown Casino after a bombshell report found it’s unfit to be given a gaming license, an inquiry commissioner has found.
Crown facilitated money laundering through subsidiaries’ bank accounts then failed to act when it was drawn to their attention in public media reporting, the report revealed.
Commissioner Patricia Bergin, a former judge of the NSW Supreme Court, told the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority that alone rendered Crown unfit to hold the licence for its casino in Sydney’s Barangaroo.
It also put its staff in China in danger of being detained and dealt with junket operators it was told were involved in organised crime, Ms Bergin concluded.
The report indicated a slew of serious changes need to be made to save the embattled casino, starting with sacking Mr Barton as CEO.
James Packer needs to fire CEO Kenneth Barton to save his $2.2billion Crown Casino, an inquiry commissioner has found
Crown facilitated money laundering through subsidiaries’ bank accounts then failed to act when it was drawn to their attention in public media reporting, the report found
The report indicated a slew of serious changes need to be made to save the embattled casino, starting with sacking Kenneth Barton as CEO
‘[Mr Barton] demonstrated that he is no match for what is needed at the helm of a casino Licensee,’ the report states.
‘The Authority would be justified in concluding that it cannot have any confidence in dealing with Mr Barton as a director of the Licensee or Crown.’
It suggested Crown chairwoman Helen Coonan could step into the role, saying: ‘her character, honesty and integrity has not been and could not be called into question’.
The report also said keeping Michael Johnston and Andrew Demetriou as directors would greatly hinder Crown’s efforts to hold a casino licence.
On Wednesday morning, Crown accepted the resignations of directors Johnston and Guy Jalland.
It’s understood Crown is willing to make the changes, which also include no longer dealing with junket operators, The Daily Telegraph reports.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday said ‘all bets are off’ for the casino if the company doesn’t make serious changes.
‘Clearly on this occasion things have to change for anything to progress,’ she told Ben Fordham on 2GB.
‘The report was damning in terms of potentially unlawful action in terms of allegations of failure to comply with various requirements.
‘If a party doesn’t do the right thing … then all bets are off.’
The ILGA will now consider the report, which it received on February 1 and which was published on Tuesday.
Chair of the authority Philip Crawford will front media about the Bergin inquiry on Wednesday morning.
Ms Bergin left it to IGLA to decide whether it should cancel, suspend or impose conditions on the licence.
But she suggested sweeping cultural change was needed, as well as specific measures like the removal of certain board directors, a thorough audit of Crown accounts for money laundering, and measures to stop the sharing of confidential information with Mr Packer.
The casino has vowed to work with ILGA in relation to the report’s findings and recommendations.
‘Crown will work with the NSW independent Liquor and Gaming Authority in relation to the findings and recommendations of the Inquiry Report as contemplated by the regulatory agreements between Crown, ILGA and the State,’ a Crown statement read.
The casino has vowed to work with ILGA in relation to the report’s findings and recommendations
It’s understood Crown is willing to make the changes, which also include no longer dealing with junket operators
Crown also runs casinos in Victoria and Western Australia, and there are now calls for those jurisdictions to respond to the damning findings.
Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie says Ms Bergin’s finding mean Crown is unfit to operate any casino in Australia.
He is calling upon the Victorian and WA premiers to suspend Crown’s casino licences and establish their own commissions of inquiry.
The Victorian Greens want Premier Daniel Andrews to take Crown’s licence away for good ahead of a review later this year.
‘Victoria shouldn’t need another review to tell us what we’ve known all along. Crown should be stripped of its Victorian licence immediately,’ Victorian Greens Leader Samantha Ratman said.
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