Hong Kong tycoon Joseph Lau Luen-hung failed to turn up in a Macau court for the start of a corruption case against him and fellow tycoon Steven Lo Kit-sing.
When the hearing began at 9am on Monday in the Macau Court of First Instance, only Lo and another of the eight defendants in the case appeared.
A lawyer for Lau produced medical documents saying the businessman could not attend the hearing because he was sick.
Prosecutors contested the claim, saying that Lau appeared to be in good shape as media reports showed that Lau had been out and about in the past few days.
The court ordered Lau to give detailed medical proof within 10 days. The case has been adjourned until a date yet to be fixed.
Lau and Lo are accused of offering a HK$20 million bribe to Macau’s disgraced former public works chief Ao Man-long.