TRAL Takes Okada to Court over Okada Manila Takeover

The saga surrounding the Philippine casino resort Okada Manila continues as Tiger Resorts Asia Limited (TRAL) sues Kazuo Okada for fraud and violence. In May, Okada forcefully took over the resort after he returned to the company thanks to a status quo ante order by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. TRAL and Okada have been fighting over the venue ever since.

Tiger Resorts Files a Lawsuit

TRAL, which owns Okada Manila’s operator, Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment (TRLEI) has now filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong. The company argues that Okada’s violence was unjustified and that his takeover was unlawful. The lawsuit seeks to judge Okada for his violent behavior during the takeover and the days following it.

TRAL also points out that the takeover has deeply hurt TRLEI and, by extension, TRAL. The companies have suffered significant losses because of their abruptly halted operations. According to TRAL, Okada planned this all along and deceived the Supreme Court into issuing the order by providing the body with invalid documents. TRAL will, therefore, also sue Okada for fraud.

Okada’s takeover of Okada Manila lasted for several months before the PAGCOR, the Philippines’ gambling regulator, finally ordered a TRAL-backed board to be reinstated. The authority didn’t remove Okada from the board and let him retain his position.

TRAL Will Pursue Justice

While TRAL is thankful to finally regain control of the property, it doesn’t plan to leave things as they are and will strike back against Okada. The company announced that it will launch more lawsuits against Kazuo Okada and his allies. TRAL is adamant that Okada’s actions were nothing short of criminal and that he must be put on trial.

In the meantime, TRAL will investigate the damages to Okada Manila and will check whether Kazuo Okada illegally withdrew cash from the casino cage. The company will also investigate how its workers were treated during the takeover and whether the Okada group did any unjustified layoffs. Lastly, TRAL will see if Okada’s team overpaid contractors. The findings will be submitted as evidence to the Hong Kong police.

Right now, Okada continues to be a member of the Okada Manila board, as per orders of the PAGCOR. However, only he and his interpreter are allowed to enter the property while the rest of the Okada group is prohibited from doing so. TRAL recently shared that Okada failed to show up for the first board of directors meeting since a TRAL-backed board was reinstated.