Casinos nabob and big GOP donor, Sheldon Adelson, in bad health, says lawyer

March 1, 2019, 03:08 GMT

By Associated press

LAS VEGAS – Casino magnate and GOP donor Sheldon Adelson is not in good health and is no longer in his company's offices in Las Vegas since Christmas day.

Adelson 's poor health was revealed earlier this week by one of his company' s lawyers during a court hearing in a multi – year – old case brought by a man in the US. Hong Kong business. The founder and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp. He did not participate in the conference call of the casino operator with analysts and investors following the release of his earnings report in January.

Lawyer James Jimmerson told the court on Monday that he had learned last month "of the catastrophic nature of Mr. Adelson's health condition". The lawyer commented if Adelson could sit to testify.

On Thursday, the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the state of the billionaire, its involvement in the operations of the company since Christmas Day and the existence of a transition plan. Adelson's comments on Adelson's health have been reported for the first time by The Nevada Independent.

Adelson, 85, suffers from peripheral neuropathy, a disease that affects the nervous system.

The billionaire and his wife, Miriam, donated $ 30 million to President Donald Trump's campaign in 2016. They then donated $ 100 million to the Republican Party for the 2018 mid-term elections.

Adelson is the largest shareholder in Las Vegas Sands and regularly participates in calls for company results, but was absent when he announced his results on Jan. 23. Sands President Robert Goldstein said at the time that Adelson was "a little under the weather".

"We met him yesterday," Goldstein said of Adelson during the January call. "He is taking drugs making him a bit sleepy, so he decided this morning to do a rain test for this one."

Adelson was scheduled to testify in the case brought by Richard Suen, a Hong Kong businessman, and his company, Round Square Co. He had testified in 2013 and 2008 in the two previous lawsuits. case.

Suen sought compensation because he said he helped Sands secure his business in the Macau Chinese Games enclave. Sands claimed that Suen had not helped to obtain crucial approval for building casinos in Macau and deserved nothing.