Star’s Sydney executives to face grilling as second Bell inquiry commences

A fresh 15-week probe into Star Entertainment’s flagship Sydney casino will commence on Monday with a host of former and current senior executives set to give evidence.

Just 18 months since Star was fined $100 million after being found unsuitable to retain its casino licence, the state’s gambling regulator — the NSW Independent Casino Commission — has again tasked Adam Bell SC to conduct a review amid concerns that the company has not done enough to rectify problems identified in the original probe.

Should the inquiry find that the ASX-listed casino operator is again unfit to retain its licence at its Pyrmont-based casino, more than 3000 jobs and billions of dollars that the NSW government raises in revenue from gambling taxes will be put at risk.

Among the current and former senior executives of the embattled gaming giant set to appear is government-appointed special manager Nicholas Weeks who is currently being paid almost $1 million a year to oversee Star’s Sydney operations.

Former chief financial officer, Christina Katsibouba, and former chief customer and product officer, George Hughes, are also slated to appear. The pair, who were among the few executives who continued to hold positions at the company firm after the first inquiry, quit in March.

Other witnesses include include ex-chief legal officer Betty Ivanoff, former company secretary Nawal Silfani, while current executives including patron liaison manager Ron Wagemans, head of risk Eileen Vuong, and head of gaming Peter Humphreys will also appear.

Meanwhile former chief executive Robbie Cooke, who also spectacularly quit the business in March after he and the board deemed it was in the company’s best interests for him to stand aside, is not scheduled to appear in the first week of hearings.

Mr Cooke is expected to appear as a witness later this month, as will chair David Foster who is currently serving as chief executive until a permanent replacement is found.

The probe follows a separate inquiry conducted by the NICC in 2022, also conducted by Mr Bell, which found The Star was unsuitable to retain its casino licence due to a litany of failures.

Findings included that the gaming giant had not met its obligations to prevent money laundering and organised crime links.

“The cultural dysfunction had significant adverse consequences for Star Entertainment’s capacity to withstand the risks of criminal infiltration and money laundering,” Mr Bell’s 2022 report found.

While the NICC did not revoke Star’s licence, it instead appointed Mr Weeks as an external manager. Mr Week’s contract has been renewed several times and is set to conclude on June 30.

According to the inquiry’s terms of reference, Mr Bell will probe whether The Star has, or is able to obtain the finances to ensure its continued viability, compliance with internal controls, and the culture within the organisation.

The final report for the second Bell inquiry is due on May 31.