The sentences will run from the date the employees were first detained on Oct. 14 last year, meaning they would only have a couple of months left to serve. A lawyer for the defendants said they were "satisfied with the result".
The case prompted Crown, the world's biggest listed casino company outside of China, to retreat from global expansion plans and sell off assets in China's gambling hub Macau, and instead shift its focus back home.
The Australian
A total of 19 defendants, also including one Malaysian citizen, were formally charged earlier this month, having been first detained late last year. Zhai Jian, a defence lawyer, said the defendants had pled guilty.
Three of the defendants, who were granted bail in November, were not fined or given a jail sentence, Crown said.
"Crown remains respectful of the sovereign jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China," the firm added.
Source: GMB / Reuters
