Sands China facing Macau probe over data transfer

HONG KONG (AFP) - US gaming tycoon Sheldon Adelson's Macau-based subsidiary Sands China said on Wednesday it is under investigation over the transfer of data from the Chinese territory to the United States (US).

The Hong Kong-listed company issued a statement to the stock exchange confirming that it was being probed by Macau authorities for allegedly sending information out of the territory without official approval.

The statement comes amid allegations in the US from a former executive that the company approved inappropriate payments to a Macau lawmaker, a possible breach of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Sands China said its subsidiary, Venetian Macau, had been informed by Macau's Office for Personal Data Protection that it was the subject of an official investigation related to the alleged transfer of "certain data".