US$3M BRIBE FOR CASINO LICENSE

 

During the tenure of the APNU+AFC government, the Gaming Authority twice denied a casino license to the owner of SleepIn Hotel even though he had met the criteria.

On one such occasion, during the chairmanship of Roysdale Forde, an emissary was sent to the hotel owner and a US$3M bribe was demanded in exchange for the approval of the license. The hotel owner refused, and his application was denied.

He later approached the court and was successful. However, it was only after the change in government in 2020 that his application was processed, and the license granted.