China released 10 employees of Australian casino operator Crown Resorts from jail on Wednesday, nine months after they were incarcerated for alleged illegal promotion of gaming.
Among them were two Australian citizens, Jane Pan Dan and Jerry Xuan. They were released from the Shanghai jail they had been kept in, together with two other colleagues, while from a nearby prison the other six employees were released.
Originally 16 Crown employees were sentenced to between nine and 10 months in prison in June, backdated to the date of their arrest in October of last year. One more employee was expected to be released this week.
The company is to pay AU$1.67m in fines for its staff members. Under Chinese law it is illegal to "organise gambling parties or engage in gambling to make profits."
