Bank accused of aiding N. Korea will return to owner

[Eugene]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Bank accused of aiding N. Korea will return to owner
By Tim Johnson | McClatchy Newspapers

BEIJING — A tiny bank in Macau that was at the center
of stalled talks over North Korea’s nuclear program will
be quietly returned to its former owner Saturday, a move
that seems to clear him of charges that he helped
Pyongyang launder counterfeit U.S. cash.

In a one-paragraph statement, the government in Macau,
a former Portuguese colony that's a burgeoning gambling
haven, said Banco Delta Asia had shown “remarkable
improvement” during two years of government oversight.

It said that Stanley Au, a former gold dealer who ceded
control of the bank in September 2005, would be put in
charge of the bank again Saturday.

The bank issued a statement quoting Au saying that its
return “reflected the exoneration of the bank and
clearance of its name as well as its staff from taking
part in any illicit activities.”

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