The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is expanding its investigation into payments made by Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada’s Universal Entertainment to a politically connected consultant in the Philippines at a time the company was seeking concessions for a casino in Manila.
News reports say agents from the FBI’s Las Vegas office were in Philippines capital earlier this month and were working with local authorities who are also looking into the payments.
Both probes are focused on US$40 million transferred to Rodolfo Soriano, a close confidante of the former head of PAGCOR, the goverment regulator of gaming in the Philippines, during a time when Universal sought and won key concessions for its $2 billion casino under development in a special resort district on Manila Bay called Entertainment City.
The payments have also been the subject of congressional hearings in the Philippines and are being probed by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Universal owns a US subsidiary that is based in Nevada.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino also has ordered an official investigation into the payments.
A Universal spokesman declined to comment on the FBI’s involvement, according to news reports. FBI officials also declined to comment.
Reuters was the first to report on the money transfers to Soriano in mid-November. Universal, majority owned by Okada and his son through a family trust, has said it carried out its business in the Philippines lawfully. Universal has filed suit in Tokyo against three former employees, claiming they sent $15 million of the $40 million without authorization. The company has also announced the filing of a defamation suit against Reuters in Tokyo.
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