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Ken Barton has resigned from his role as the chief executive officer of Crown Resorts after the release of a scathing report.
The company confirmed the move in a statement on Monday that said Mr Barton would step down from his role of CEO and managing director effective immediately.
Helen Coonan will take on the role of executive chairman while Crown Resorts looks for someone to replace Mr Barton.
“I would like to thank Ken for his dedication and commitment to Crown,” Ms Coonan said.
“Ken joined Crown a decade ago and has played an invaluable role with the business.”
Mr Barton worked at Crown for more than a decade and was initially employed as its chief financial officer. He was appointed CEO in January last year.
He was also the director of two VIP bank accounts at the centre of money laundering allegations and was previously called out for not launching an investigation before the Bergin inquiry into Crown’s suitability to hold a licence for its $2.2bn Sydney Barangaroo casino began.
In a statement, Mr Barton thanked Crown’s directors for the opportunity to work with them.
“I am absolutely certain the business is now on the right path as it works to restore confidence in its operations,” he said.
Mr Barton’s resignation adds to the high profile scalps at Crown after an explosive inquiry into the embattled gaming giant.
In a report tabled to the state parliament earlier this month, the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) said corporate “arrogance” was a driving factor in the company turning a blind eye to illegal money laundering within its Melbourne and Perth venues.
Findings suggested the James Packer-backed casino was not a suitable licensee holder and its state gaming clearance should be revoked.
The report laid bare Crown’s corporate failures, including the arrest of employees in China in 2016 “with numerous failures to escalate indicators of real risks to the staff”.
“Any applicant for a casino licence with the attributes of Crown’s stark realities of facilitating money laundering, exposing staff to the risk of detention in a foreign jurisdiction and pursuing commercial relationships with individuals with connections to triads and organised crime groups would not be confident of a positive outcome,” the report read.
Commissioner Patricia Bergin said in her findings there was “significant deficiency” in Crown’s corporate character and a lack of understanding and compliance of the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.
Several other leading figures have also resigned after the inquiry, including Crown director and former AFL boss Andrew Demetriou.
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