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Imperial Pacific

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Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd
IndustryConglomerate
FounderYeung Chung-lung
Headquarters
Hong Kong
Area served
China (Hong Kong, Macau) and the United States (Northern Mariana Islands, Guam)
Key people
CEO: Henry Cheang,[1] Majority owner: Cui Lijie
ParentInventive Star Limited
SubsidiariesBest Sunshine International
Websitewww.imperialpac.com Edit this at Wikidata

Imperial Pacific International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1076) is a Chinese investment holding company. It was founded with headquarters in Hong Kong and originally named First Natural Foods Holdings until it was renamed in May 2014. It is majority owned by Cui Lijie through her investment vehicle Inventive Star Limited.[2][3]

History

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First Natural Foods was first listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 11 February 2002. It was principally involved most aspects of the food business, including frozen and functional food products. Trading for the group was suspended on 15 December 2008 and provisional liquidators were appointed on 7 January 2009 for restructuring. The liquidators were discharged on 4 September 2012 and trade sharing resumed the following day.[4]

In 2013, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) took the company's founder and former chairman Yeung Chung-lung to court for alleged embezzlement. The SFC accused him of withdrawing HK$84 million from its account in December 2008.[5]

In December 2013, First Natural Foods announced that it would buy the Macau-based junket operator Hengsheng for HK$400 million.[6] In 2013, First Natural Foods reported a profit of only 1.25 million.[7] In March 2016, Imperial Pacific announced that it would sell its non-gaming subsidiaries to focus on its gaming businesses.[8] In August 2016, Imperial Pacific reported that it had a half-year net profit of HK$837.3 million (US$108 million).[9] Imperial Pacific was Trump 2017 inaugural Gala sponsor.[10]

In 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the construction site of Imperial Pacific's casino in Saipan over a "federal violation of the workplace visa system" following the death of a construction worker in March 2017.[11][12][13] Construction workers from a subsidiary of state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation were unlawfully employed on the island to build the casino.[14] In April 2017, Bloomberg News reported that the United States Department of Justice was investigating Imperial Pacific for money laundering.[14] The FBI executed search warrants on Imperial Pacific's offices in Saipan again in March 2018.[15]

In April 2019, the United States Department of Labor secured a $3.3 million judgment against Imperial Pacific for wage and overtime violations.[16] In September 2019, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Imperial Pacific for sexual harassment and discrimination.[17]

In November 2019, the FBI raided the offices of Imperial Pacific for evidence of money laundering and wire fraud, and a federal grand jury subpoenaed the company regarding a corruption probe involving links with Northern Mariana Islands governor Ralph Torres.[18][19][20]

In March 2020, Imperial Pacific disclosed that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network was probing it for possible violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.[21] In June 2020, the Commonwealth Casino Commission of the Northern Mariana Islands announced that it was seeking to suspend Imperial Pacific's casino license for non-payment of money owed to a community benefit fund.[22]

In April 2024, Imperial Pacific filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, stating that it owes its creditors approximately $165.8 million.[23]

Best Sunshine International

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Best Sunshine, a subsidiary of Imperial Pacific International Holdings, develops and operates casinos, hotels, and restaurants in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).[24] As of June 2016, it is reportedly the largest taxpayer in the CNMI, paying US$27.8 million in business gross revenue tax.[25]

In August 2014, Imperial Pacific International was granted a 25-year license to build and operate a casino on Saipan with an option to extend the license for another 15 years.[26] Best Sunshine originally planned to spend US$3.14 billion and operate 2,229 hotel room.[27] but increased the budget to US$7.1 billion the following month to accommodate plans to operate more than 4,200 hotel rooms and 1,600 gaming tables.[28] Imperial Pacific raised US$99.8 million in December 2014 to fund these projects.[29]

Best Sunshine had a soft opening for a temporary casino with six Baccarat tables in July 2015.[30] This casino, named Best Sunshine Live cost US$25 million to build.[9] It is located in Saipan's DFS T-Galleria Mall. In May 2016, Best Sunshine started targeting residents and tourists of Guam by offering charter flights between the two islands.[31] The Best Sunshine Live casino opened on 31 March 2017, though construction for the attached resort continued.[32]

The main casino, named Grand Mariana Casino Hotel and Resort was constructed in Garapan in 2016 and 2017. During this time, the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ) gave Best Sunshine multiple fines for discharging wastewater into Garapan's lagoon and violating work hour constraints.[33] Ancient human remains were discovered on the construction site, which will be re-interred some time after construction is finished.[34] The main casino was originally scheduled to open in December 2016 and expected to cost US$550 million.[35] The resort's casino had a soft opening on 6 July 2017.[36]

On 23 March 2017, one of Imperial Pacific's Chinese construction workers fell off a scaffold and died. This led the FBI to search one of Imperial Pacific's offices and make an arrest.[37] On 15 February 2018, Bloomberg Businessweek published an investigative report on the circumstances surrounding the death of this construction worker.[38] An attorney for the Torres Brothers law firm which represented this worker said the report omitted several facts about the case.[39] Imperial Pacific disputed all allegations of wrongdoing and sued Bloomberg for defamation.[40] The FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigated the case and charged five individuals with harboring undocumented workers.[41]

After Typhoon Yutu, Imperial Pacific opened its Saipan casino with limited operations from 2–15 November 2018. Citing damages from the typhoon, Imperial Pacific shut down this casino from 16 to 18 November, and then resumed operations.[42]

References

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  1. ^ "Imperial Pacific names new CEO, chairman, inks new contractor". calvinayre.com. 31 January 2018. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Imperial Pacific International Holdings Limited: 2019 Annual Report" (PDF). Hong Kong Stock Exchange. p. 30. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 August 2020.
  3. ^ Cohen, Muhammad (24 February 2017). "One Woman's Journey From 'Barefoot Doctor' To Casino Billionaire". Forbes. Archived from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  4. ^ "SFC seeks court orders against founder and former chairman of First Natural Foods". Securities and Futures Commission. 24 April 2013. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  5. ^ Li, Kanis (25 April 2013). "SFC takes First Natural Foods founder to court over HK$84m embezzlement claim". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  6. ^ "First Natural Foods to buy Hengsheng for HK$400 Mln". Asian Gaming Brief. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  7. ^ Wei, Daniela; Campbell, Matthew (13 November 2016). "Big Money, Big Questions at Trump Protege's Remote Casino". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  8. ^ Morrison, K. (3 April 2016). "Non-gaming business of Imperial Pacific dropped to focus on Saipan". World Casino News. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  9. ^ a b Coleman, Zach (23 August 2016). "Small Saipan casino catches up with Macau peers". Nikkei Asian Review. Nikkei. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  10. ^ Lulu Ramadan (13 April 2019). "Undisclosed cash flowed at Trump inaugural ball with ties to China, embattled Saipan casino". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  11. ^ Campbell, Matthew (30 March 2017). "FBI Visits Office of Saipan Casino Run by Trump Protege". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  12. ^ Campbell, Matthew; Farrell, Greg (1 April 2017). "FBI Makes Arrest Related to Saipan Casino Construction". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  13. ^ Campbell, Matthew (15 February 2018). "A Chinese Casino Has Conquered a Piece of America". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  14. ^ a b Campbell, Matthew; Wei, Daniela (10 April 2017). "Human Smuggling, Money Laundering Probes Surround Saipan Casino". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  15. ^ Campbell, Matthew; Ha, K Oanh (14 March 2018). "Saipan Casino Operator Raided by U.S. Agents". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  16. ^ "USDOL secures $3.3M judgment against casino developer". The Guam Daily Post. 27 April 2019. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  17. ^ De La Torre, Ferdie (25 September 2019). "EEOC files suit vs IPI for sexual harassment, sex discrimination". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  18. ^ Aguon, Mindy (8 November 2019). "FBI raids Saipan governor's office, casino operator". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  19. ^ Aguon, Mindy (14 November 2019). "Feds seek evidence of wire fraud, money laundering investigation in CNMI". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  20. ^ Encinares, Erwin (15 November 2019). "Grand jury summons out". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  21. ^ De La Torre, Ferdie (29 May 2020). "FinCEN sees apparent violations at casino". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  22. ^ Erediano, Emmanuel T. (5 June 2020). "Casino commission seeks suspension of IPI license over unpaid community chest fund". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  23. ^ "IPI owes creditors over $165M; files for bankruptcy". Marianas Variety. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Imperial Pacific International Holdings Limited Company Info". EquityNet.com.hk. Equity Group. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  25. ^ Erediano, Emmanuel T. (17 June 2016). "Best Sunshine says it has paid $27.8M in BGRT to date". Marianas Variety. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  26. ^ "Inside Information: Grant of Casino Resort Developer License and Resumption of Trading" (PDF). HKExnews.hk. 13 August 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  27. ^ Erediano, Emmanuel T. (13 August 2014). "NMI retirement crisis 'over'". Marianas Variety. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  28. ^ Ap, Tiffany (15 December 2014). "Doubts raised over US$7.1b plan for Imperial Pacific's Saipan casino". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  29. ^ Rabago, Mark (17 December 2014). "Imperial Pacific raises $100M". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  30. ^ "Imperial Pacific has soft opening for Saipan casino". GGRAsia. TEAM Publishing and Consultancy. 28 July 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  31. ^ Eugenio, Haidee V. (19 May 2016). "Only operating casino in Micronesia targets Guam residents, tourists". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  32. ^ Master, Farah (14 April 2017). "Saipan casino workers protest for payment as FBI cites illegal labor". Reuters. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  33. ^ Erediano, Emmanuel T. (29 April 2016). "BECQ fines Best Sunshine for repeated violations". Marianas Variety. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  34. ^ Manabat, Bryan (1 August 2016). "Still no plan for re-interring ancient human remains found at Garapan hotel project site". Marianas Variety. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  35. ^ "Grand Mariana Casino and Saipan's lack of hotel rooms". Marianas Variety. 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  36. ^ Villahermosa, Cherrie Anne E. (8 July 2017). "Saipan casino's soft opening draws crowds". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  37. ^ Campbell, Matthew; Farrell, Greg (1 April 2017). "FBI Makes Arrest Related to Saipan Casino Construction". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  38. ^ Campbell, Matthew (15 February 2018). "A Chinese Casino Has Conquered a Piece of America". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  39. ^ Encinares, Erwin (20 February 2018). "Lawyer: Bloomberg article left out key facts". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  40. ^ Stradbrooke, Steven (20 February 2018). "Casino operator Imperial Pacific suing Bloomberg for defamation". CalvinAyre.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  41. ^ Chargualaf, Alana (5 June 2018). "Woman sentenced in illegal foreign worker case". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  42. ^ Wong, Yi Wei (19 November 2018). "Imperial Pacific resumes Saipan casino operations after two-day break". Macau Business. Macau News Agency. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
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