Laundering probe not yet factored into Sleepin casino application, Gaming Authority Chairman says

The Church Street hotel and casino

Chairman of the Guyana Gaming Authority Roysdale Forde yesterday confirmed that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) did reveal that hotelier Clifton Bacchus and several associates are under investigation for money laundering, but said that the information is yet to be used in the review of the businessman’s application for a casino licence.

Bacchus, the owner of Sleepin Hotel, has since said that he is unaware that he was under investigation and was shocked at the contents of a report about the probe in yesterday’s edition of the Guyana Chronicle.

When contacted yesterday, Forde confirmed that the Authority wrote to SOCU head Sydney James requesting information on Bacchus in light of the current review of his application for a casino licence.