Internal turmoil at Crown has been laid bare with former director John Poynton claiming he faced "inappropriate" pressure from company chair Helen Coonan to resign.
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Mr Poynton made the claim in a submission to a West Australian royal commission examining Crown's suitability to retain the state's casino licence.
The Perth investment banker resigned in February as a non-executive director of Crown Resorts and chair of subsidiary company Burswood Limited.
Mr Poynton has accused Ms Coonan and NSW gaming regulator chair Philip Crawford of placing him under significant pressure to step down, despite the damning NSW Bergin report making no adverse findings against him.
In the submission, Mr Poynton said Mr Crawford - the chair of NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority - had publicly questioned his independence given his links to James Packer.
Mr Poynton joined Crown's board in 2018 as a nominee of Mr Packer's Consolidated Press Holdings.
The royal commission has heard Mr Poynton had signed a consultancy agreement with CPH for which he received a $50,000 annual fee. It included a clause that he disclose confidential information relating to Crown Resorts "on demand".
Mr Poynton has testified he never provided confidential information to Mr Packer or CPH.
The consultancy arrangement was terminated on February 10 but the NSW regulator continued to call for Mr Poynton's head in various media interviews.
On February 22, Mr Crawford wrote to Ms Coonan saying Mr Poynton remaining on the board was "not acceptable to the authority as it consults with Crown on whether it can become suitable to hold a (Sydney) casino licence".
Mr Poynton advised through his lawyer that he was willing to step down but only if the NSW regulator made it publicly clear the decision was "based only on a perception of his past association with CPH and Mr Packer".
On February 25, Ms Coonan emailed Mr Poynton warning that if he did not step down, Crown's NSW casino licence could be cancelled.
"This is the last time I will informally seek your resignation," she wrote, according to the submission.
"If I do not receive written confirmation of your resignation by 12 noon tomorrow Friday 25 February 2021, I will commence steps to deal with this issue which will necessarily and regrettably find their way into the public domain as Crown Resorts complies with its continuous disclosure requirements."
Mr Poynton tendered his resignation on February 28.
"I was denied the opportunity to defend myself and to explain to the board why I considered it to be in the best interests of Crown Group that I remain on the board," he wrote.
"I feel strongly that the chair of Crown acted in a manner that was intemperate and inappropriate in considering and dealing with this issue."
Ms Coonan is expected to front the WA royal commission next month.
Mr Poynton has told the inquiry he was unaware of any "red flags" at the Perth casino until media revelations late in his tenure.
He said Burswood Limited, whose board he joined in 2004, had oversight of operations but no power to direct the casino licensee which sat below it.
And he denied having any knowledge of the Riverbank Investments shell company which the Bergin report said had been used to facilitate money laundering at the Perth casino, despite it being a subsidiary of Burswood Limited.
The inquiry continues.
Australian Associated Press
