Tiger Resort Asia Ltd. (TRAL), which owns 99.9 percent of the operator of Okada Manila, has filed a criminal complaint against Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada’s camp over illegal seizure of the casino resort hotel on May 31 which allegedly resulted in irreparable loss.
The complaint was filed by TRAL’s legal counsel Guantao & Chao Solicitors and Notaries before the Hong Kong Police Wan Chai Division.
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Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc. (TRLEI) accused Kazuo and his henchmen TonyBoy Cojuangco and Dindo Espeleta of a violent takeover of the gambling resort’s property in in May and illegally installing a new board after the Supreme Court issued a status quo ante order reinstating the Japanese mogul in his position as chairman and CEO.
“By perverting the status quo ante order of the Philippine Supreme Court, Kazuo Okada illegally installed a new board of directors, deceiving not only Philippine court officials but also the Hong Kong regulators that he was the sole representative of TRAL in TRLEI,” the complaint said.
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TRLEI alleged that Kazuo submitted an antiquated registration document before his ouster from TRLEI, misrepresenting the Hong Kong Registry. It has since been updated to reflect his removal from the company, a document that is on record based on the Hong Kong Registry.
On September 2, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. issued an order reinstating the previous board led by TRLEI president Byron Yip.
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“We are thankful that Hong Kong authorities have acted upon the criminal complaints against Kazuo Okada and his cohorts. This is just the beginning of the slew of criminal and civil cases that we will be filing against the Kazuo Group for their blatant disregard of the law,” TRAL said.
TRAL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan-listed holding company Universal Entertainment Corp. (UEC), which controls TRLEI, is looking into the illegal cash withdrawals of Kazuo’s group, the unfair treatment and illegal dismissal of its staff, as well as the overpayments to contractors.
“We will submit these as further evidence to the Hong Kong Police and use these to file criminal and civil lawsuits in Hong Kong,” TRAL said.
“As we continue to safeguard our investments, employees, and stakeholders, we at UEC vow to support TRAL in bringing justice into Kazuo Okada, Cojuangco, Espeleta and their accessories and affiliates. We also hope that the Philippine courts will soon resolve the intra-corporate dispute in order for us to move forward with our growth plans for Okada Manila,” UEC president Jun Fujimoto said.
