Gambling kingpin Paul Phua accused of making 'under the table' payment to Macau police

A former Macau casino junket operator who is currently awaiting trial in Las Vegas has been accused of making a multimillion-dollar "under the table" payment to police in the former Portuguese enclave to secure his release from custody.

Court documents filed this week by US federal prosecutors allege Asian gambling kingpin Paul Phua Wei-seng paid a police officer in Macau as much as HK$5 million shortly after his arrest in the world's richest gaming destination in June.

Phua, who the US authorities also accuse of being a member of the 14K triad society, left Macau on a private jet bound for Las Vegas hours after he was detained.

Within days of arriving in the US gaming mecca, he and a number of his associates were arrested in an FBI sting operation targeting online sports betting at Caesar's Palace Hotel in Las Vegas. Phua and several other men are expected to face trial in coming weeks. Malaysian national Phua, 50, has denied any wrongdoing.

Phone transcripts lodged by prosecutors on Monday (US time) appear to show Phua's son Darren, 23, telling a friend via instant messaging that an "under the table" payment of between HK$4 million and HK$5 million would secure his father's release.

The transcribed message in the court documents alleges that Phua's son tells another man: "We just received a call from Macau saying that the one who arrested Paul is a friend of Paul and they are negotiating now. Hopefully they just want money."

Malaysian national Phua is considered by the FBI to be one of the key players in the online betting business.