{"id":"court_ctb_3851_0","court":"CTB","case_no":"22-50073","doc_number":3851,"sub_number":0,"doc_type":"TRANSCRIPT","filed_date":"2024-11-26","title":"1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT DISTRICT OF CONNECTIC","summary_zh":null,"summary_en":null,"body_en":"1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT DISTRICT OF CONNECTICUT BRIDGEPORT DIVISION IN RE: . Chapter 11 . Case No. 22-50073 (JAM) HO WAN KWOK, *et al., .* . (Jointly Administered) Debtors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G CLUB OPERATIONS, LLC, . . Movant, . . v. . . Courtroom 123 LUC A. DESPINS, CHAPTER 11 . Brien McMahon Federal Building TRUSTEE FOR THE ESTATE OF . 915 Lafayette Boulevard HO WAN KWOK, . Bridgeport, Connecticut 06604 . Respondent. . Monday, November 18, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:05 p.m. TRANSCRIPT OF HEARING BEFORE THE HONORABLE JULIE A. MANNING UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE (APPEARANCES CONTINUED) Audio Operator: Electronically recorded Transcription Company: Reliable The Nemours Building 1007 N. Orange Street, Suite 110 Wilmington, Delaware 19801 Telephone: (302)654-8080 Email: gmatthews@reliable-co.com Proceedings recorded by electronic sound recording, transcript produced by transcription service. Case 22-50073 Doc 3851 Filed 11/26/24 Entered 11/26/24 14:11:47 Page 1 of 15\n\n| | Case 22-50073
Doc 3851 | Filed 11/26/24 | Entered 11/26/24 14:11:47 | Page 2 of 15 |\n|----|-------------------------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------------------------|--------------|\n| | | | | 2 |\n| 1 | APPEARANCES: | | | |\n| 2 | For the Chapter 11 | | | |\n| 3 | Trustee: | | Luc A. Despins, Esquire
Nicholas A. Bassett, Esquire | |\n| 4 | | | PAUL HASTINGS, LLP
200 Park Avenue | |\n| 5 | | | New York, New York 10166 | |\n| 6 | For G Club Operations,
LLC, and G Club | | | |\n| 7 | International, Ltd.: | | Jeffrey M. Sklarz, Esquire
GREEN & SKLARZ, LLC | |\n| 8 | | | One Audubon Street
3rd Floor | |\n| 9 | | | New Haven, Connecticut 06511 | |\n| 10 | For Pacific Alliance | | | |\n| 11 | Asia Opportunity Fund: | | Stuart M. Sarnoff, Esquire
O'MELVENY & MYERS, LLP | |\n| 12 | | | 1301 Avenue of the Americas
Suite 1700 | |\n| 13 | | | New York, New York 10019 | |\n| 14 | | | | |\n| 15 | | | | |\n| 16 | | | | |\n| 17 | | | | |\n| 18 | | | | |\n| 19 | | | | |\n| 20 | | | | |\n| 21 | | | | |\n| 22 | | | | |\n| 23 | | | | |\n| 24 | | | | |\n| 25 | | | | |\n| | | | | |\n| | | | | |\n\n| Case 22-50073 | | Doc 3851 | Filed 11/26/24 | | Entered 11/26/24 14:11:47 | Page 3 of 15 | | |\n|---------------|----------|----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------|---------------------------|--------------|------|--|\n| | | | | | | | 3 | |\n| 1 | | | | INDEX | | | | |\n| 2 | MOTIONS: | | | | | | PAGE | |\n| 3 | Matter | | | | | | | |\n| 4 | | | No. 3752 Motion to Quash filed by Interested Party G
Club Operations, LLC | | | | | |\n| 5 | | | | | | | | |\n| 6 | | | Court's Ruling: | | | | -- | |\n| 7 | | | | | | | | |\n| 8 | | | Transcriptionist's Certificate | | | | 15 | |\n| 9 | | | | | | | | |\n| 10 | | | | | | | | |\n| 11 | | | | | | | | |\n| 12 | | | | | | | | |\n| 13 | | | | | | | | |\n| 14 | | | | | | | | |\n| 15 | | | | | | | | |\n| 16 | | | | | | | | |\n| 17 | | | | | | | | |\n| 18 | | | | | | | | |\n| 19 | | | | | | | | |\n| 20 | | | | | | | | |\n| 21 | | | | | | | | |\n| 22 | | | | | | | | |\n| 23 | | | | | | | | |\n| 24 | | | | | | | | |\n| 25 | | | | | | | | |\n| | | | | | | | | |\n| | | | | | | | | |\n\n 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 (Proceedings commenced at 1:05 p.m.) THE COURT: Okay. THE CLERK: Case Number 22-50073, Ho Wan Kwok. THE COURT: If we could have appearances for the record, please? MR. DESPINS: Luc Despins, Chapter 11 Trustee. Good afternoon, Your Honor. THE COURT: Good afternoon. MR. BASSETT: Good afternoon, Your Honor. Nick Bassett from Paul Hastings, counsel for the Chapter 11 Trustee. THE COURT: Good afternoon. MR. SKLARZ: Good afternoon, Your Honor. Jeffrey Sklarz for G Club Operations. THE COURT: Good afternoon. MR. SARNOFF: Good afternoon, Your Honor. Stuart Sarnoff, on behalf of the creditor PAX. THE COURT: Good afternoon. Is that everyone's appearances -- everyone been noted for the record? (No verbal response) THE COURT: I think so. Okay. As we know, this is a continued hearing. We had a hearing a few weeks ago on the motion to quash and I know the parties were discussing some steps towards Case 22-50073 Doc 3851 Filed 11/26/24 Entered 11/26/24 14:11:47 Page 4 of 15\n\n1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 production of documents and things of that nature. And Attorney Sklarz, you were going to submit documents to Attorney Bassett. I don't know where things stand as of today. So if you can let me know where things stand, and then we can proceed in whatever manner we need to proceed, with regard to the motion to quash. MR. SKLARZ: Certainly, Your Honor. We transmitted the documents that we indicated we would within the time frame prescribed, which included all of the applicable corporate authorizations, authorizing FFP to act as the manager of G Club Operations. We also provided a cash receipts ledger to Attorney Bassett for funds that flowed through FFP since they took over last January -- I'm sorry -- last June, a cash receipts journal for G Club Operations from the petition date to that time, and then a list of third-party payments that were made on behalf of G Club Operations. So, Attorney Bassett and I had further conversations by email, as well as on the phone today. I don't think we've reached an agreement that no deposition is necessary. G Club continues to believe that whatever the trustee wants to pursue, it really is corollary to the omnibus alter-ego case, as well as all the other variety of adversary proceedings filed, and discovery should take place under Rule 26 and not -- to the extent that discovery is\n\nCase 22-50073 Doc 3851 Filed 11/26/24 Entered 11/26/24 14:11:47 Page 6 of 15\n\n6\n\n1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 proceeding, G Club believes it should be under Rule 26, not under Rule 2004. THE COURT: Okay. Thank you. Attorney Bassett? MR. BASSETT: Yes, Your Honor. Again, for the record, Nick Bassett from Paul Hastings, on behalf of the Chapter 11 Trustee. I think generally speaking, Attorney Sklarz summarized directly where we stand. He did produce some documents. He produced some corporate resolutions and the like, purporting to show the sort of transition and control of the company from Mr. (Indiscernible), to his client, this FFP entity, and then, additionally, some documentation surrounding cash transfers and the like. I will say it's not a significant volume of materials; it's, you know, a handful of pages of documents purporting to show various transfers, et cetera. And I think most importantly, you know, where we land is that we very much still believe that a deposition here is critical. I think the documents that have been produced only strengthen the need for a deposition. And, Your Honor, I can't emphasize enough, based on the remarks that you heard last time at the initial hearing and then also based on the documents that were received, the central figure surrounding all of this is Mr. He, whom we've heard a lot about. He's\n\nCase 22-50073 Doc 3851 Filed 11/26/24 Entered 11/26/24 14:11:47 Page 7 of 15\n\n7\n\n1 2 3 the individual who was the purported ultimate beneficial owner of G Club and a variety of other entities in Mr. Kwok's orbit.\n\n4 5 6 7 He's the one who purportedly transferred control of G Club to FFP in June 2023. He is also shown on the funding documents that Attorney Sklarz produced as the person who provided some of the funding.\n\n8 9 10 11 12 13 And, Your Honor, he's not just some name that we've seen; he is, to be very clear, on, I guess you could say, the top or near the top of the trustee's most-wanted list in terms of people to talk to and to gain information about. He is the individual who was all over the criminal trial.\n\n14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 The debtor's top lieutenant referred to Mr. He as, essentially, a close family member of Mr. Kwok. He's been specified to as having been a close friend of (indiscernible) since college. He is the signatory to a number of transfers of loans that were a centerpiece in the criminal trial to facilitate the debtor's money-laundering scheme. He signed loans of millions of dollars from G Club to the debtor's son. He is a nominal owner of a company that facilitated the son's purchase of a \\$4 million Ferrari. He is all over the place. And why do I emphasize this so much, Your Honor? Because this is what we've been concerned about from the\n\nbeginning. This is why we thought this 2004 discovery. We\n\n25\n\n1 2 3 need to understand not who the nominal person in control is here. I believe Attorney Sklarz, based on the documents\n\n4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 he provided and his representations, that FFP and Mr. Chow (phonetic) there, is the nominal current person who is managing G Club. But what we really need to know is who is controlling things behind the scenes. What were the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Mr. Chow. What is really going on with the funding that has been provided? There's all kinds of questions to the documents that Attorney Sklarz provided. There's all kinds of questions they raise about the (indiscernible) new entities, new shell companies that provided funding that we've never heard of, a company called Bulk Trade Ltd., a company called Rorsdale, Ltd. (phonetic).\n\n16 17 18 19 20 There are all kinds of payments that we need to ask a person sitting down under oath about. We need to find out who has Mr. Chow talked to? How often has he talked to Mr. He? What does he -- what types of things is he taking instruction on.\n\n21 22 23 24 25 Your Honor, I don't think this will be a long deposition. We have agreed already to do it remotely by Zoom, but I think it is absolutely critical because we need to ask the kind of questions that you just can't get answered based on documents alone and it's questions that are very,\n\n| | Case 22-50073
Doc 3851
Filed 11/26/24
Entered 11/26/24 14:11:47
Page 9 of 15 |\n|----|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|\n| | 9 |\n| | |\n| 1 | very important to the trustee.
So, Your Honor, that's where |\n| 2 | things stand. |\n| 3 | We still do have a dispute about whether the |\n| 4 | deposition should go forward.
We have still continued to |\n| 5 | block off this Wednesday for the remote deposition.
We have |\n| 6 | lined up a court reporter.
We are ready to go and we believe |\n| 7 | it should go forward. |\n| 8 | And, unfortunately, we still have the dispute with |\n| 9 | Attorney Sklarz, because he appears to be still, you know, |\n| 10 | prepping his motion to quash the deposition, but that's where |\n| 11 | things stand, Your Honor. |\n| 12 | THE COURT:
Okay.
Thank you very much. |\n| 13 | Attorney Sklarz, is there anything else you'd like |\n| 14 | to add? |\n| 15 | MR. SKLARZ:
I think everyone that Attorney |\n| 16 | Bassett said explains why Your Honor should grant this |\n| 17 | motion.
They are looking into all of the aspects of control |\n| 18 | of G Club, which go to the alter-ego arguments and that is |\n| 19 | the litigation in chief.
If they want to speak with Mr. He, |\n| 20 | they should subpoena Mr. He.
He is not my client.
I have no |\n| 21 | access to him.
I don't speak with him.
They need to go find |\n| 22 | him or -- I'm sorry -- not find him, they need to subpoena |\n| 23 | him or go to a location where he can be deposed. |\n| 24 | This information was not produced in a vacuum.
In |\n| 25 | the context of earlier 2004 document requests, G Club has |\n| | |\n\n1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 produced huge amounts of financial records that tie to these ledgers that were specially created following our discussion for a limited time, from the petition date forward. So all of that information, there is behind it, a lot more information that was already produced. I don't know if the trustee has had an opportunity to go through that. But I think if they want to talk to other people, that is their prerogative. But if they want to depose G Club to understand the ownership, control, and structure, that relates directly to the alter-ego claims brought primarily in the omnibus case, but also in all of the other cases. So I think if discovery is going to proceed, it has to proceed more Rule 26 in those cases, not as a Rule 2004 deposition. THE COURT: Okay. Thank you. Attorney Bassett, any reply? MR. BASSETT: Just briefly, Your Honor. I think we largely discussed this particular argument at the last hearing, but just to reiterate, the trustee's position is that there's a very clear difference between what he is seeking through this limited deposition and what is at issue in the broader omnibus alter-ego adversary proceeding involving G Club. Again, through this deposition, we are trying to understand who today, presently, is directing G Club. What\n\n1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 sources of assets does G Club have? All of that is relevant, Your Honor, not because we want to use it in the omnibus alter-ego litigation against G Club or any other pending litigation, but because it is critical to potentially lead the trustee to other sources of potential estate assets, to identify other individuals and sources of information that could lead down paths that could further the trustee's investigation. That's what we need to know.\n\n9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 What we've been finding out, and we went over this last time, too, Your Honor -- and Judge Dewey recognizes this -- but there is, you know, some maneuvering and I would say, in some cases, clear gamesmanship behind the scenes as to who is controlling the litigants before this and other courts, especially after Mr. Kwok's incarceration. We need to understand that by talking to a representative of the company who should be able to answer these questions so we can figure out what's going on, because we need to understand who's really in charge here, who's making decisions, where they're getting funding, because we believe that there are other assets out there that are property of the estate that we need to recover and we need to continue going down the path of investigating situations like this one to find out where those are.\n\n24 25 THE COURT: All right. Thank you. I appreciate the parties' providing updates, with\n\n| 1 | regard to what has occurred since our last hearing.
I | | | | | | |\n|----|----------------------------------------------------------------|--|--|--|--|--|--|\n| 2 | understand the positions of the parties and I don't have any | | | | | | |\n| 3 | questions with regard to the positions of the parties. | | | | | | |\n| 4 | What I'm going to do is I'm going to review what | | | | | | |\n| 5 | you've just told me in light of what you've told me at the | | | | | | |\n| 6 | last hearing on the motion and I will rule accordingly.
And | | | | | | |\n| 7 | I anticipate that there'll be some form of order by the end | | | | | | |\n| 8 | of today so that both of you can do what you think is | | | | | | |\n| 9 | appropriate under the circumstances. | | | | | | |\n| 10 | I understand, Attorney Bassett, you'd like a | | | | | | |\n| 11 | ruling, because you have a deposition scheduled for -- did | | | | | | |\n| 12 | you say Wednesday? | | | | | | |\n| 13 | MR. BASSETT:
That's correct, Your Honor. | | | | | | |\n| 14 | THE COURT:
Okay. | | | | | | |\n| 15 | MR. BASSETT:
(Indiscernible) the agreement the | | | | | | |\n| 16 | parties had reached previously. | | | | | | |\n| 17 | THE COURT:
Right.
The 20th, right? | | | | | | |\n| 18 | MR. BASSETT:
That's correct. | | | | | | |\n| 19 | THE COURT:
Sorry.
So, in any event, that's what | | | | | | |\n| 20 | I will do is I will go back and consider what you've told me | | | | | | |\n| 21 | today, what -- refresh my recollection as to what you told me | | | | | | |\n| 22 | during the last hearing and an order should enter before the | | | | | | |\n| 23 | close of business today, okay? | | | | | | |\n| 24 | MR. BASSETT:
Thank you, Your Honor. | | | | | | |\n| 25 | MR. SKLARZ:
Thank you, Your Honor. | | | | | | |\n| | | | | | | | |\n\n 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 THE COURT: Is there anything else we want to discuss today? MR. DESPINS: The only question, Your Honor, is that are you going to be okay with tomorrow? THE COURT: Are you making me laugh, Trustee Despins? I don't know. I'm feeling pretty bad, as you can probably hear in my voice. MR. DESPINS: Exactly. But should we have -- THE COURT: We're going to do everything remotely tomorrow. MR. DESPINS: Oh, okay. THE COURT: I'm going to do the -- this all just occurred, you know, so I'm going to -- all hearings on tomorrow's calendar in the morning and in the afternoon, are going to be remote, so we can proceed, even though I'm not feeling that great. But I think I -- I mean, unless things get worse, we are going to proceed with the hearing tomorrow remotely. And you'll get a -- you know, the Clerk's Office, the courtroom deputy is already working on changing the entries on each case in which there's a hearing scheduled for tomorrow to say that it will be held remotely, okay? MR. DESPINS: Thank you, Your Honor. THE COURT: All right. So I think that's all we can accomplish today. I will, as I said, go back and look at Case 22-50073 Doc 3851 Filed 11/26/24 Entered 11/26/24 14:11:47 Page 13 of 15\n\n| Case 22-50073 | Doc 3851 | Filed 11/26/24 | | Entered 11/26/24 14:11:47 | Page 14 of 15 | |\n|---------------|-----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------------------------|---------------|----|\n| | | | | | | 14 |\n| 1 | | everything and anticipate there'll be an order entered later | | | | |\n| 2 | this afternoon. | | | | | |\n| 3 | | MR. DESPINS: | | That would be terrific. | | |\n| 4 | | THE COURT: | All right. | Thank you all. | | |\n| 5 | | MR. DESPINS: | Bye-bye. | | | |\n| 6 | | THE COURT: | | That's the last matter on today's | | |\n| 7 | | calendar, so court is adjourned. | | | | |\n| 8 | | THE CLERK: | Court is adjourned. | | | |\n| 9 | | (Proceedings concluded at 1:20 p.m.) | | | | |\n| 10 | | | | | | |\n| 11 | | | | | | |\n| 12 | | | | | | |\n| 13 | | | | | | |\n| 14 | | | | | | |\n| 15 | | | | | | |\n| 16 | | | | | | |\n| 17 | | | | | | |\n| 18 | | | | | | |\n| 19 | | | | | | |\n| 20 | | | | | | |\n| 21 | | | | | | |\n| 22 | | | | | | |\n| 23 | | | | | | |\n| 24 | | | | | | |\n| 25 | | | | | | |\n| | | | | | | |\n| | | | | | | |\n\n| Case 22-50073 | Doc 3851 | Filed 11/26/24 | Entered 11/26/24 14:11:47 | Page 15 of 15 |\n|---------------|------------------------|----------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|\n| | | | | 15 |\n| 1 | | | CERTIFICATION | |\n| 2 | | | I certify that the foregoing is a correct | |\n| 3 | | | transcript from the electronic sound recording of the | |\n| 4 | | | proceedings in the above-entitled matter to the best of my | |\n| 5 | knowledge and ability. | | | |\n| 6 | | | | |\n| 7 | /s/ William J. Garling | | | November 23, 2024 |\n| 8 | | William J. Garling, CET-543 | | |\n| 9 | | Certified Court Transcriptionist | | |\n| 10 | For Reliable | | | |\n| 11 | | | | |\n| 12 | | | | |\n| 13 | | | | |\n| 14 | | | | |\n| 15 | | | | |\n| 16 | | | | |\n| 17 | | | | |\n| 18 | | | | |\n| 19 | | | | |\n| 20 | | | | |\n| 21 | | | | |\n| 22 | | | | |\n| 23 | | | | |\n| 24 | | | | |\n| 25 | | | | |\n| | | | | |\n| | | | | |","body_zh":"美国破产法院（United States Bankruptcy Court）\n康涅狄格州联邦地区（District of Connecticut）\n布里奇波特分院（Bridgeport Division）\n\n关于：\n\n第11章\n\n案号：22-50073 (JAM)\n\nHO WAN KWOK（郭文贵）等人，\n\n（合并管理）\n\n债务人。\n\nG CLUB OPERATIONS, LLC（G Club运营有限责任公司），\n\n动议人，\n\n诉\n\n第11章受托人 LUC A. DESPINS（卢克·A·德斯平斯），作为 HO WAN KWOK（郭文贵）破产财产的受托人，\n\n被申请人。\n\n第123法庭\n\nBrien McMahon Federal Building（布赖恩·麦克马洪联邦大楼）\n\n915 Lafayette Boulevard\n\nBridgeport, Connecticut 06604\n\n2024年11月18日，星期一\n\n下午1:05\n\n在尊敬的 JULIE A. MANNING（朱莉·A·曼宁）法官面前举行的听证会笔录\n美国破产法官\n\n（出庭人员续）\n\n音频操作员：电子录音\n\n笔录公司：Reliable（可靠公司）\n\nThe Nemours Building\n\n1007 N. Orange Street, Suite 110\n\nWilmington, Delaware 19801\n\n电话：(302)654-8080\n\n电子邮件：gmatthews@reliable-co.com\n\n程序通过电子录音记录，笔录由笔录服务机构制作。\n\n案号 22-50073 文件 3851 提交于 11/26/24 录入于 11/26/24 14:11:47 第 1 页，共 15 页\n\n案号 22-50073\n文件 3851 提交于 11/26/24 录入于 11/26/24 14:11:47 第 2 页，共 15 页\n\n出庭人员：\n\n代表第11章受托人：\nLuc A. Despins（卢克·A·德斯平斯），律师\nNicholas A. Bassett（尼古拉斯·A·巴塞特），律师\nPAUL HASTINGS, LLP（保罗·黑斯廷斯律师事务所）\n200 Park Avenue\nNew York, New York 10166\n\n代表 G Club Operations, LLC（G Club运营有限责任公司）及 G Club International, Ltd.（G Club国际有限公司）：\nJeffrey M. Sklarz（杰弗里·M·斯克拉兹），律师\nGREEN & SKLARZ, LLC（格林及斯克拉兹有限责任公司）\nOne Audubon Street\n3rd Floor\nNew Haven, Connecticut 06511\n\n代表 Pacific Alliance Asia Opportunity Fund（太平洋联盟亚洲机会基金）：\nStuart M. Sarnoff（斯图尔特·M·萨诺夫），律师\nO'MELVENY & MYERS, LLP（欧麦律师事务所）\n1301 Avenue of the Americas\nSuite 1700\nNew York, New York 10019\n\n案号 22-50073 文件 3851 提交于 11/26/24 录入于 11/26/24 14:11:47 第 3 页，共 15 页\n\n目录\n\n动议： 页码\n\n事项\n\n第3752号 利害关系方 G Club Operations, LLC（G Club运营有限责任公司）提交的撤销动议\n\n法院裁定： --\n\n笔录员证明 15\n\n（程序于下午1:05开始。）\n\n法官：好的。\n\n书记员：案号 22-50073，Ho Wan Kwok（郭文贵）。\n\n法官：请各位为记录出庭，好吗？\n\nDESPINS律师：Luc Despins（卢克·德斯平斯），第11章受托人。下午好，法官阁下。\n\n法官：下午好。\n\nBASSETT律师：下午好，法官阁下。我是 Paul Hastings（保罗·黑斯廷斯律师事务所）的 Nick Bassett（尼克·巴塞特），第11章受托人的律师。\n\n法官：下午好。\n\nSKLARZ律师：下午好，法官阁下。我是代表 G Club Operations（G Club运营公司）的 Jeffrey Sklarz（杰弗里·斯克拉兹）。\n\n法官：下午好。\n\nSARNOFF律师：下午好，法官阁下。我是代表债权人 PAX 的 Stuart Sarnoff（斯图尔特·萨诺夫）。\n\n法官：下午好。以上是否为所有出庭人员——所有人员是否均已记入记录？\n\n（无人作口头回应）\n\n法官：我想是的。好的。如各位所知，这是一次续行听证会。几周前，我们就撤销动议举行了听证会，我知道各方当时正在讨论采取一些措施来提交文件及诸如此类的事项。\n\n案号 22-50073 文件 3851 提交于 11/26/24 录入于 11/26/24 14:11:47 第 4 页，共 15 页\n\n法官：Sklarz律师，您原本将向 Bassett律师提交文件。我不知道截至今日事情进展如何。因此，请您告知我目前进展情况，随后我们便可就撤销动议以任何必要的方式继续进行。\n\nSKLARZ律师：当然，法官阁下。我们已在规定期限内传送了我们表示将提供的文件，其中包括所有适用的公司授权文件，授权 FFP 担任 G Club Operations 的管理人。我们还向 Bassett律师提供了一份现金收款总账，涉及 FFP 自其于去年1月——抱歉——去年6月接管以来经由 FFP 流转的资金；一份自破产申请日至该期间的 G Club Operations 现金收款日记账；以及一份代表 G Club Operations 支付的第三方付款清单。\n\nSKLARZ律师：因此，Bassett律师和我通过电子邮件以及今日电话进行了进一步沟通。我认为我们尚未达成不需要进行任何证言录取的协议。G Club 仍认为，受托人希望追究的任何事项，实际上均附随于综合性另我诉讼，以及所有其他已提起的各类对抗程序；取证应依 Rule 26 进行，而不应——在进行取证的范围内——\n\n案号 22-50073 文件 3851 提交于 11/26/24 录入于 11/26/24 14:11:47 第 6 页，共 15 页\n\nSKLARZ律师：在该程序中，G Club 认为应依 Rule 26 进行，而非依 Rule 2004 进行。\n\n法官：好的。谢谢。Bassett律师？\n\nBASSETT律师：是的，法官阁下。再次为记录说明，我是 Paul Hastings（保罗·黑斯廷斯律师事务所）的 Nick Bassett（尼克·巴塞特），代表第11章受托人。我认为，概括而言，Sklarz律师直接概述了我们目前的情况。他确实提交了一些文件。他提交了一些公司决议及类似文件，声称显示公司控制权从（听不清）先生向其客户，即该 FFP 实体的某种移交和变更，此外还提交了一些有关现金转移及类似事项的文件。\n\nBASSETT律师：我要说的是，这些材料数量并不多；只是数页文件，声称显示各种转移等等。我认为最重要的是，我们仍然坚信，在此进行证言录取至关重要。我认为已经提交的文件只会进一步加强进行证言录取的必要性。法官阁下，我再怎么强调也不为过：根据您在上次初次听证会上听到的陈述，以及后来收到的文件，围绕这一切的核心人物是 He先生，我们已多次听闻此人。\n\n案号 22-50073 文件 3851 提交于 11/26/24 录入于 11/26/24 14:11:47 第 7 页，共 15 页\n\nBASSETT律师：他是据称为 G Club 及郭先生周边各类其他实体的最终受益所有人的个人。\n\nBASSETT律师：他是据称于2023年6月将 G Club 控制权移交给 FFP 的人。他也在 Sklarz律师提交的资金文件中被列为提供部分资金的人。\n\nBASSETT律师：而且，法官阁下，他不仅仅是我们见过的某个名字；为明确起见，可以说，他位于或接近受托人最希望接触并获取其信息的人士名单的顶端。他是刑事审判中无处不在的那个人。\n\nBASSETT律师：债务人的首席副手称 He先生实质上是郭先生的一名亲密家庭成员。他被指称自大学时期起就是（听不清）的一位密友。他是多笔贷款转移的签字人，这些贷款是刑事审判的核心内容，并被用于促成债务人的洗钱计划。他签署了 G Club 向债务人之子提供的数百万美元贷款。他是一家公司的名义所有人，该公司促成债务人之子购买了一辆价值 $4 million 的 Ferrari（法拉利）。他无处不在。法官阁下，我为何如此强调这一点？因为这是我们从一开始便一直担忧的事情。\n\nBASSETT律师：这就是我们寻求进行 Rule 2004 取证的原因。我们需要了解的不是此处名义上的控制人是谁。我相信 Sklarz律师，基于他提供的文件和陈述，FFP 以及 Chow先生（按发音）是目前名义上管理 G Club 的人。但我们真正需要知道的是，谁在幕后控制一切。任命 Chow先生的具体情形是什么。所提供资金究竟是怎么回事？对于 Sklarz律师提供的文件，存在各种问题。它们引出了有关（听不清）新实体、新空壳公司的各种问题；这些公司提供了我们从未听说过的资金，一家名为 Bulk Trade Ltd.（大宗贸易有限公司）的公司，以及一家名为 Rorsdale, Ltd.（按发音）的公司。\n\nBASSETT律师：有各种付款事项，我们需要向在宣誓后坐下来接受询问的人了解。我们需要查明 Chow先生曾与谁交谈？他与 He先生交谈过多少次？他在哪些事项上接受指示？\n\nBASSETT律师：法官阁下，我认为这不会是一次很长的证言录取。我们已经同意通过 Zoom 远程进行，但我认为这绝对至关重要，因为我们需要提出的问题，仅凭文件无法获得答案，而这些问题对于受托人极为重要。\n\n案号 22-50073\n文件 3851\n提交于 11/26/24\n录入于 11/26/24 14:11:47\n\nBASSETT律师：因此，法官阁下，这就是目前的情况。\n\nBASSETT律师：我们对于证言录取是否应继续进行仍有争议。我们仍已预留本周三进行远程证言录取。我们已安排好一名法庭记录员。我们已准备就绪，并且我们认为其应当继续进行。\n\nBASSETT律师：遗憾的是，我们与 Sklarz律师仍有争议，因为他似乎仍在，您知道，准备其撤销该证言录取的动议，但这就是目前的情况，法官阁下。\n\n法官：好的。非常感谢。\n\n法官：Sklarz律师，您还有其他要补充的吗？\n\nSKLARZ律师：我认为 Bassett律师所说的一切都说明法官阁下应当准许本动议。他们正在调查 G Club 控制权的所有方面，这些方面涉及另我论点，而那是主要诉讼。如果他们想与 He先生交谈，他们应当向 He先生发出传票。他不是我的客户。我无法接触他。我不与他交谈。他们需要去找到他，或者——抱歉——不是找到他，他们需要向他发出传票，或者前往可以对他进行证言录取的地点。\n\nSKLARZ律师：这些信息并非凭空提供。在先前的 Rule 2004 文件请求背景下，G Club 已提交大量与这些总账相衔接的财务记录；这些总账是在我们讨论后专为有限期间、从破产申请日起编制的。因此，所有这些信息背后都有更多已经提交的信息。我不知道受托人是否有机会审阅这些资料。但我认为，如果他们想与其他人交谈，那是他们的选择。但是，如果他们想对 G Club 进行证言录取，以了解其所有权、控制权和结构，则该事项直接涉及主要在综合性案件中提出、但也在所有其他案件中提出的另我主张。因此，我认为，如果取证将继续进行，就必须在那些案件中更多地依 Rule 26 进行，而不是作为 Rule 2004 证言录取进行。\n\n法官：好的。谢谢。Bassett律师，有任何答复吗？\n\nBASSETT律师：仅简要答复，法官阁下。我认为我们在上次听证会上已基本讨论过这一具体论点，但重申一下，受托人的立场是，他通过这一有限的证言录取所寻求的内容，与涉及 G Club 的更广泛综合性另我对抗程序中所涉事项之间存在非常明确的区别。再次说明，通过本次证言录取，我们试图了解目前、现时是谁在指挥 G Club。G Club 拥有哪些资产来源？所有这些都与此相关，法官阁下，并非因为我们想在针对 G Club 的综合性另我诉讼或任何其他待决诉讼中使用这些信息，而是因为这些信息对于可能引导受托人找到其他潜在破产财产资产来源、识别其他个人和信息来源至关重要；这些人和来源可能提供线索，从而进一步推进受托人的调查。这正是我们需要了解的。\n\n我们一直在查明的是——我们上次也讨论过这一点，法官阁下——而且 Dewey 法官（杜威法官）也意识到这一点——在幕后，就由谁控制在本院及其他法院出庭的诉讼当事人而言，存在一些周旋，而且我认为，在某些情形下，显然存在策略性操纵，尤其是在 Kwok 先生（郭文贵）被监禁之后。我们需要通过与应能回答这些问题的公司代表交谈来了解这一点，以便弄清楚究竟发生了什么，因为我们需要了解这里真正负责的是谁、谁在作出决定、他们从哪里获得资金，因为我们相信，还有其他属于破产财产的资产需要追回，我们需要继续调查诸如此类的情形，以查明那些资产在哪里。\n\n法庭：好的。谢谢。我感谢各方就自上次听证会以来发生的情况提供最新情况。\n\n我理解各方的立场，对于各方的立场，我没有任何问题。\n\n我将要做的是，结合你们在上次就该动议举行的听证会上向我所作的陈述，审阅你们刚才告诉我的情况，并将据此作出裁定。我预计今天结束前会作出某种形式的命令，以便你们双方可以在该等情形下采取你们认为适当的行动。\n\n我理解，Bassett 律师（巴塞特律师），您希望得到裁定，因为您安排了一场证言录取——您说是星期三吗？\n\nBASSETT 先生：是的，法官阁下。\n\n法庭：好的。\n\nBASSETT 先生：（听不清）各方此前达成的协议。\n\n法庭：对。20日，对吗？\n\nBASSETT 先生：是的。\n\n法庭：抱歉。因此，无论如何，我将回去考虑你们今天告诉我的情况，并回顾你们在上次听证会上告诉我的情况，今天营业结束前应会作出一项命令，好吗？\n\nBASSETT 先生：谢谢您，法官阁下。\n\nSKLARZ 先生（斯克拉兹先生）：谢谢您，法官阁下。\n\n法庭：今天还有其他事项要讨论吗？\n\nDESPINS 先生（德斯平斯先生）：唯一的问题是，法官阁下，您明天可以吗？\n\n法庭：Despins 受托人（德斯平斯受托人），您是在逗我笑吗？我不知道。正如您大概能从我的声音中听出来，我感觉很不舒服。\n\nDESPINS 先生：正是如此。但是我们是否应当——\n\n法庭：我们明天将全部远程进行。\n\nDESPINS 先生：哦，好的。\n\n法庭：我将——这一切刚刚发生，您知道，所以我将——明天日程表上上午和下午的所有听证会都将远程进行，因此即使我感觉不太好，我们仍可以继续进行。但我认为——我的意思是，除非情况变得更糟，我们明天将远程继续进行听证会。您将会收到——您知道，书记官办公室、法庭助理书记员已经在着手修改每个安排于明天举行听证会的案件的条目，说明听证会将以远程方式举行，好吗？\n\nDESPINS 先生：谢谢您，法官阁下。\n\n法庭：好的。因此，我认为这就是我们今天所能完成的一切。正如我所说，我将回去审阅案号 22-50073 文书 3851 提交于 11/26/24 登记于 11/26/24 14:11:47 第 13 页，共 15 页中的一切内容，并预计今天下午晚些时候会作出一项命令。\n\n案号 22-50073 文书 3851 提交于 11/26/24 登记于 11/26/24 14:11:47 第 14 页，共 15 页\n\nDESPINS 先生：那将非常好。\n\n法庭：好的。谢谢各位。\n\nDESPINS 先生：再见。\n\n法庭：这是今天日程表上的最后一项事项，现休庭。\n\n书记员：现休庭。\n\n（程序于下午 1:20 结束。）\n\n案号 22-50073 文书 3851 提交于 11/26/24 登记于 11/26/24 14:11:47 第 15 页，共 15 页\n\n证明\n\n本人证明，据本人所知及所能，前述内容是上述案件程序电子录音的正确文字记录。\n\n/s/ William J. Garling November 23, 2024\n\nWilliam J. Garling（威廉·J·加林）, CET-543\n\n认证法庭文字记录员\n\n代表 Reliable","key_entities":["Despins","Kwok","Ho Wan Kwok","Paul Hastings","Je","CIPA","Luc Despins"],"ecf_references":[],"word_count":4181,"status":"published","published_at":"2024-11-26 00:00:00","created_at":"2024-11-26","updated_at":"2026-08-23 19:07:32"}