UK government slaps sanctions on NSW man Eberahim Abbas over fraud factory, trafficking links
The UK government has slapped sanctions on an Australian director of a Laotian casino for his alleged role in human trafficking and forced-labour fraud factories.
The UK government has slapped sanctions on an Australian director of a Laotian casino with organised crime links over his alleged role in human trafficking and forced-labour fraud factories, an increasing occurrence across the Mekong.
Wagga man Eberahim Abbas, also known as “Basu”, is the director general at the Kings Romans Casino in Laos’s Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, on the banks of the Mekong, a stone’s throw from Thailand and Myanmar.
The 74-year-old, according to his LinkedIn profile, has worked at the casino since 2007, where he was previously head of security.
The GTSEZ, and the casino resort at its centre, is run and owned by Chinese-national Zhao Wei, who signed a 99-year lease to establish the zone with the Laotian government in 2007.
Mr Wei’s business holdings are recognised as a “Transnational Crime Organisation” by the US government, who sanctioned him – as well as Mr Abbas – in 2018 for the casino’s role in money laundering and drug trafficking. The US government alleged Mr Wei’s company helped store and distribute heroin and methamphetamine for drug-trade networks, including the United Wa State Army, based in Myanmar.
Then, the US government described Mr Abbas as part of the TCO’s “leadership”, alleging he engaged in bribery on behalf of Mr Wei and the company.
On the weekend, the UK government announced that it was following suit, slapping Mr Wei, his wife and Australian national Mr Abbas with a slew of sanctions for their alleged role in human trafficking and “fraud factories” which the casino resort and GTSEZ is alleged to host.
Fraud factories, or “cyber scams”, have become more widespread – or, at least, more widely documented – in the last few years.
It involves schemes that lure migrants with the promise of work, where they are forced into modern slavery in “scam hubs” to scam internet users around the world, most often barred from leaving by either force or threats, including organ harvesting or forced into prostitution.
They are prevalent in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. According to a UNHCR report from this year into the scam centres, in Laos “the industry centres around the GTSEZ”.
In 2022, the Thai government warned its citizens “against taking irregular work” in the GTSEZ, given concerns with the prevalence of the industry in the zone and its practices.
Mr Abbas is an Australian national, from Wagga, where he still owns a family home in the suburb of Kooringal. It is understood his family members remain in the regional NSW town. He also holds properties in Laos and Chiang Rai, Thailand.
On Friday, the UK government announced Mr Abbas had been sanctioned.
“(Mr Abbas) has been responsible for, provided support for or obtained benefit from activity that violates the right of individuals not to be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, right to be free from slavery, not to be held in servitude or required to perform forced or compulsory labour,” the UK government said.
“(In his role at the casino) he bears responsibility for, supported or obtained benefit from the trafficking of individuals to the GTSEZ, where they were forced to work as scammers and subject to physical abuse and further cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.”
When announcing the sanctions, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the government would “not tolerate” criminals “trampling on fundamental rights and freedoms”.
The sanctions freeze any British-based funds Mr Abbas owns and place him on a UK travel ban.
Mr Abbas has not been charged, and there is no suggestion he would be, although The Australian understands that if he were to return to domestic shores he’d likely be intercepted by law enforcement agencies, pertaining to the allegations and sanctions.
Speaking to The Australian in 2018, when the US laid sanctions, he said he had “no idea” how it could make allegations against him.
“I have no idea how come I could be alleged by the US gov,” Mr Abbas claimed, saying he neither “agreed nor accepted” the allegations.
Mr Abbas was contacted on Monday via his Kings Romans Casino work email, but didn’t respond at the time of publication.
His LinkedIn profiles include pictures of the Kings Romans Casino and encouragement to “drop me a line” for those interested in investing in the GTSEZ.
“Kings Romans Group is the master developer of GTSEZ (with the aim) to develop a rural area into a leisure city with health and entertainment living,” his LinkedIn profile reads.
“Whether you are looking for opportunities for investment or business co-operation or work or sightseeing tour or entertainment or cancer treatment, you are always welcome.”
Calls to the Abbas family home in Wagga were unanswered on Monday.
A Foreign Affairs Department spokesman said the government was aware of the sanctions against Mr Abbas.
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