Former Crown executive had journalist tracked

A former Crown Resorts executive who was James Packer’s ‘right hand man’ had a Melbourne journalist tracked, Victoria’s royal commission heard on Thursday.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews with Tom Zhou (to right of Andrews) at a Hubei Association event in 2012. Picture: Tom Minear

An ex-Victorian cop turned private security contractor was told by James Packer’s right hand man to hire a private investigator to track a journalist, with the information gathered relayed through Crown’s head of security, a royal commission has heard.

It was also heard the contractor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, became something of an assistant to a high-roller junket operator – who is now detained in China – after an introduction from the security head, who also relayed information about the operator.

Appearing in front of the Victorian royal commission into the company Thursday, the contractor said that around 2016 he retained a private investigator to track a journalist who was investigating Ishan Ratnam, a former Crown VIP gaming executive who is considered a confidant of major Crown shareholder James Packer.

The journalist is understood to be Mark Hawthorne, former reporter at and publisher of The Age. Mr Hawthorne declined to comment on Thursday as the matter was before a royal commission.

The contractor said information from the investigator was relayed to Mr Ratnam through Crown Resorts executive director of security and surveillance Craig Walsh, as he did not have “direct comms” (communications) with Mr Ratnam.

He also said nothing came of the attempts to track Mr Hawthorne.

“Nothing (happened) because the subject of it turned out to be a really good bloke,” he said.

Mr Ratnam left Crown in March amid the fallout of the NSW Bergin Inquiry, which saw the company temporarily lose its Sydney casino licence.

The commission also heard that the contractor for five months in 2016 worked for Tom Zhou or “Mr Chinatown” – a junket operator who eventually became subject to a “red” Interpol notice and was extradited from Fiji to China last year over alleged links to organised crime.

The contractor was allegedly referred to Mr Zhou by Mr Walsh. Over the course of five months the contractor performed duties ranging from serving green tea, enrolling Mr Zhou’s sons in Sydney’s Scott's college, and arranging the details of a boutique store to be opened in Crown Melbourne.

He also accompanied Mr Zhou on charter flight jaunts to casinos. One chartered flight from the Gold Coast to Auckland was raided by the AFP, but the contractor’s suspicions were not raised by this event, nor by Zhou’s request he bring $NZ180,000 from a gambling trip in New Zealand back into the country in a paper bag.

“Their job is to gamble and cash is their currency,” the contractor explained, adding that he declared the money at customs.

He said he could not recall if he told Mr Walsh about the alleged incident and described his other communications with Mr Walsh concerning Mr Zhou as talk between friends, not official reports.

Mr Walsh is set to appear in front of the commission on Friday.