HONG KONG, Sept 24 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court on Thursday adjourned until March the trial of a Macau junket operator who faces three charges of laundering HK$1.8 billion ($232 million) through accounts in the financial centre.
Junket operators in Macau, the world's largest casino hub, have come under increased scrutiny as President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign targets the flight of illicit capital from China.
Gambling revenue has plummeted for the last 16 months, with a drop of 30 percent forecast this year. The junket business, which uses middle men to bring in gamblers from mainland China, extending them credit and collecting debts, has also suffered.
Cheung Chi-tai, a former major shareholder of one of Macau's biggest junket operators, the Neptune Group, faces three charges of money laundering, court documents show, in a case the prosecutor said involved funds of up to HK$3.4 billion.
The court adjourned Cheung's trial until March 24, to give Hong Kong authorities time to cooperate with Macau officials and disentangle some of the complex issues involved.
It ordered Cheung to pay an extra HK$100,000 in bail and report to the police every two weeks.
Cheung's lawyer said his client was not a flight risk, adding that he was still active in managing his businesses in Macau and China and remained the key decision maker.
"If he wants to hide or run away, he could have done it a long time ago," the lawyer, Kevin Tang told reporters outside the court. "Even if he hides in Macau, Hong Kong can't do anything about it."
Cheung, whose assets were frozen after police started their investigation last November, wore a grey tracksuit and a white surgical mask over his face as he arrived at the court.
The court allowed Cheung to receive a travel document to deal with his investments in China, including real estate projects in the cities of Shanghai and Dongguan, worth HK$100 million and HK$40 million, respectively, and a HK$35-million investment in a pawn shop in Zhuhai.
Cheung was alleged to have been a key player in the money laundering case of former Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung last year, and has been named as a top lieutenant of the Wo Hop To triad, according to a 1992 U.S. Senate report.
A Reuters' 2010 special report found links between Cheung and organised criminal gangs.
Cheung has not been convicted of any triad-related crimes, but his ties to organised crime were corroborated by U.S. authorities and former and current police officials. ($1=7.7515 Hong Kong dollars) (Reporting by Farah Master and James Pomfret; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)