Dore Group alienates itself from theft, investment proposals

The troubled junket operator Dore Group distanced itself from high-profile embezzlement yesterday following two consecutive days of protests by scammed investors at its headquarters.
A half-page statement released yesterday in the Chinese newspaper Macao Daily by the group says that after approximately two days of internal investigation, it was discovered that the company’s former cage director sought funds from not only the group’s clients but also other people by unlawfully using the junket’s name.
The group also claimed that the suspect, whose whereabouts remain unknown, even forged seals and lured investors with an “extremely high interest rate.”
The group further denied that the practice was part of its usual business, while also stressing that “such conduct was against the law.”
Dore Group’s initial estimate of its financial losses amounts to over HKD100 million. With junket activity continuing within Wynn Macau’s casino, the junket group said that its operations were not harmed by the heist.
The company also urged all relevant parties embroiled in the scam to come forward to the Judiciary Police in order to assist with the authorities’ inquiry into the fraud. It also suggested that those involved in the incident who were in need of assistance could visit the company for enquiries.
Apart from promising to bear possible legal responsibility in the future subject to court verdicts, the group, which described itself a victim, appealed to society to put the episode in perspective.