James Packer called to Crown casino inquiry

James Packer has been called to appear before the NSW gaming inquiry into Crown casino along with the entire Crown board.

James Packer at a Crown Resorts annual general meeting on October 26, 2017 in Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

James Packer and the entire Crown Resorts board have been called to appear before the NSW gaming inquiry into Crown Resort’s suitability to hold a casino license in the state.

Mr Packer, who is a major shareholder in Crown, is set to give evidence by video link in the week starting Monday September 28, along with other current Crown Resort directors including John Alexander, Harold Mitchell, former Qantas chief Geoff Dixon, Jane Halton and Crown chair Helen Coonan.

It will also include two directors who are executives of Packer’s family company, Consolidated Press Holdings, CPH chief executive Guy Jalland and finance director Michael Johnston.

Mr Johnston is due to appear as a witness anytime between September 23 and September 25, along with Crown chief executive and former finance director, Ben Barton.

Mr Packer’s name is included in a new provisional witness list issued by the inquiry on the weekend.

Mr Packer, who holds just under 37 per cent of Crown through his family companies, stepped down from the Crown board in March 2018.

The inquiry by the NSW Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) into the suitability of Crown to hold a casino license in NSW, which is headed by former NSW Supreme court judge Patricia Bergin, began in February with witnesses appearing in person.

After a break, it resumed with witnesses giving evidence by video link.

The inquiry was called last year after media allegations against Crown and James Packer’s decision to sell 19.9 per cent of his Crown shares to Hong Kong businessman Lawrence Ho.

But the deal has since been scrapped, with Mr Ho selling out of his stake in Crown.

The inquiry has continued looking into a range of issues including the risk of organised crime infiltrating casinos, particularly through the use of junket operators which bring together groups of VIP gamblers to gamble at casinos, and the vulnerability of casinos to money laundering.

It has also been looking into issues leading up to the arrest of Crown employees in China in October 2016 including an appearance by Crown executive Jason O’Connor who was jailed for ten months in Shanghai.

Crown is set to open its new casino in Sydney’s Barangaroo before the end of the year.

The announcement of the provisional witness list ends speculation about whether Mr Packer, who is based in Los Angeles, would be called to give evidence to the inquiry.

Its shift to having witnesses appear entirely by video link removes any issues about him having to fly to Australia to give evidence.

The inquiry has also called Crown Resorts company secretary Mary Manos.

It has already head from former Crown director Rowena Danziger, the former headmistress of the prestigious Ascham school in Sydney who was a director at the time when Crown casino staff were arrested in China, but stepped down as a director of the company in October 2017.

The inquiry has also been looking at information flows about Crown’s activities up to the Crown board and CPH Holdings.

Former NSW deputy police commissioner Nick Kaldas, who is now an adviser to Crown, is due to appear before the inquiry this week.