Ex-Crown Director Claims Casino Inquiry Chair Forced Resignation

An attorney representing Former Crown Resorts theater director King John Poynton testified today before a royal stag direction in horse opera Australia. He said that his client was unjustly pressured to resign from the Aussie gambling casino business.

The Perth Casino Royal Commission resumed hearings this week. The commissioning is reviewing whether Crown Resorts remains suited to control cassino gambling at its Crown Perth integrated resort.

The probe follows a royal charge inwards New South Cymru deeming Crown unqualified to have a casino licence for its latterly opened Crown Sydney. Another on-going brush up has been initiated inwards Victoria Falls regarding the gambling casino firm’s suitability to continue running Crown Melbourne.

Poynton resigned from the Crown Resorts board of directors and as chairman and director of Crown Perth inward March. But his effectual representative, St. Peter Ward, says his client’s going away from the organization was forced. Montgomery Ward told the Perth direction that Crown plank chair Helen Coonan forced the longtime Crown executive out.

Poynton himself is expected to come out before the charge this Wednesday, July 28. The gambling casino inquiry’s describe deadline was extended last calendar week past quatern months, the last publishing at present due inward March 2022.

Poynton No Packer Puppet

Poynton became the manager of Crown Perth inwards 2004. He joined the Crown room inward November of 2018.

The NSW cassino suitableness investigation — informally called the Bergin Inquiry — concluded that Poynton was too snug of a confidant to Jesse James Packer, the billionaire who founded and formerly served as CEO and chairman of Crown Resorts. The royal stag commission ruled inward its conclusion non to issuance Crown a casino permission because Packer had too often command o'er the organization, and that resulted in regulatory adherence shortcomings.

But in testimonial today inward Perth, Barbara Ward said that simply isn’t true.

“Until 2018, Mr. Poynton’s role was modified to that of a non-executive director,” Montgomery Ward explained. “Mr. Poynton was decreed to the gameboard of Crown Resorts as a nominee of Consolidated Press Holdings (CPH) in 2018 followers the surrender of Mr. Packer.”

CPH is Packer’s conglomerate holdings entity and owns a 36.8 percent bet inward Crown Resorts.

There was no grounds before the Bergin Inquiry and no more prompting that Mr. Poynton has of all time been beholden to Mr. Packer. There is no more prompting that Mr. Poynton ever so shared entropy with Mr. Packer from the Crown Resorts room meetings… He acted independently,” Ward declared.

Ward says Poynton resigned not because of any wrongdoing, but as a ensue of beingness “placed below important force per unit area past both the chair of Crown Resorts and the NSW regulator.”

In Crown’s declaration of Poynton’s resignation, Coonan conceded that no evidence was found that he acted inappropriately.

“As a termination of … a perceived want of independency arising come out of his past times relationship with Mr. Packer, Gospel According to John has agreed to resign in the topper interests of Crown and our shareholders, despite no untoward findings past the Commissioner inward the Inquiry inward relation to his suitability, integrity, or performance,” Coonan stated.

Poynton Denies Takeover

Aussie challenger gambling casino manipulator Star Entertainment withdrew its proposed reverse gear takeover of Crown Resorts lastly week. One extend stock-still remains — a play from US-based common soldier equity unfluctuating Oaktree Capital to acquire Packer’s nearly 38 percent post inwards Crown Resorts for $2.21 billion.

With Crown’s hereafter unknown, rumblings experience surfaced John L. H. Down Under, although ace is said to be unfounded. Mrs. Humphrey Ward told the horse opera Australia military commission that the rumors of his client trying to variant a syndicate to purchase Crown Perth hold “absolutely no truth.”