SHANGHAI/BEIJING: China on Saturday freed one of the last remaining Crown Resorts Ltd executives jailed for illegally promoting gambling, as a protracted saga that forced the Australian casino operator to cancel global expansion plans and hurt profits nears an end. Jason O’Connor, head of international VIP gambling with the casino giant, was released before 7 a.m., an official told media outside the detention centre in Shanghai. The Australian was the most senior of 16 staff detained in October and jailed by a Shanghai court in June. His 10-month sentence ran from the time of his first detention on Oct. 14 last year. He was flying home following his release on Saturday, Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in an emailed statement. She did not give a time for his arrival. Crown executive chairman John Alexander said in an emailed statement he was “very pleased” staff were being reunited with their families and expressed gratitude for the help provided by the Australian government and the company’s legal team over the past few months. Published in Daily Times, August 13th 2017.