Wang's ex-lover gets 12 years for fake will
Source: Agencies |
July 6, 2013, Saturday
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Print Edition
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A HONG KONG judge yesterday jailed a former lover of late billionaire tycoon Nina Wang for 12 years for forging a will naming him the sole heir to one of Asia's largest fortunes - estimated at US$4 billion.
Justice Andrew Macrae delivered the sentence on Peter Chan, formerly known as Tony Chan, in the city's High Court a day after a jury found him guilty on charges of forgery and using a forged document. Chan had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Sentencing Chan to 12 years on each charge, to be served concurrently, the judge highlighted the "shameless and unparalleled greed" at the heart of a "well-executed and planned" crime, that saw Chan exploit his relationship with Wang to obtain large amounts of her money in her final years.
"Never once have you shown the slightest remorse for your conduct," the judge said. "You took full advantage of her sadness, loneliness and tragic life."
As the sentence was handed down, Chan, dressed in dark suit and white shirt and flanked by three guards in the dock, stared solemnly at his wife in the public gallery, and nodded slowly.
Legal costs
His wife sobbed throughout the hearing, covering her mouth with a small handkerchief.
The judge also ordered Chan to pay more than HK$2 million (US$257,900) for legal costs the prosecution incurred in a preliminary inquiry the latter had requested.
Chan's lawyer and wife made no immediate reply to queries whether he would appeal against the judgment.
The proceedings have transfixed Hong Kong with revelations of adultery and bizarre rituals associated with feng shui, a Chinese philosophy meaning "wind-water," aimed at creating harmonious surroundings and harnessing natural energies.
The 53-year-old father of three also described in court how he had enjoyed a passionate sexual relationship with the billionaire heiress, who was more than 20 years his senior.
Judge Macrae said Chan was tarnishing Wang's good name and reputation by making himself her sole beneficiary and diverting the money from her charitable foundation to himself.
Shameless and wicked
Chan managed to get 30 million pounds (US$45 million) from Wang when she was sick and fragile in the last two days of her life, the judge said, calling his behavior shameless and wicked.
Hong Kong police investigators hailed the result. "This shows that no matter how long we take, the Hong Kong judicial system will ensure that any culprit will be subject to the great hand of justice," Ho Pak-ling, an official of the Commercial Crime Bureau, told reporters outside the court.
Known as "Little Sweetie" after a favorite Japanese manga cartoon character, Wang was one of Asia's wealthiest women, with a business empire including the Chinachem Group, Hong Kong's largest private property developer. She died of cancer in 2007, aged 69.
The petite Wang, known for her braided pig-tails, mini-skirts and beloved pet dogs that she took to boardroom meetings, inherited most of her wealth from her husband Teddy, who was kidnapped in 1990 and never seen alive again, despite the payment of a US$33-million ransom.
The sentence is the latest setback for Chan, who was ordered in March to pay HK$340 million in tax arrears.
Justice Andrew Macrae delivered the sentence on Peter Chan, formerly known as Tony Chan, in the city's High Court a day after a jury found him guilty on charges of forgery and using a forged document. Chan had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Sentencing Chan to 12 years on each charge, to be served concurrently, the judge highlighted the "shameless and unparalleled greed" at the heart of a "well-executed and planned" crime, that saw Chan exploit his relationship with Wang to obtain large amounts of her money in her final years.
"Never once have you shown the slightest remorse for your conduct," the judge said. "You took full advantage of her sadness, loneliness and tragic life."
As the sentence was handed down, Chan, dressed in dark suit and white shirt and flanked by three guards in the dock, stared solemnly at his wife in the public gallery, and nodded slowly.
Legal costs
His wife sobbed throughout the hearing, covering her mouth with a small handkerchief.
The judge also ordered Chan to pay more than HK$2 million (US$257,900) for legal costs the prosecution incurred in a preliminary inquiry the latter had requested.
Chan's lawyer and wife made no immediate reply to queries whether he would appeal against the judgment.
The proceedings have transfixed Hong Kong with revelations of adultery and bizarre rituals associated with feng shui, a Chinese philosophy meaning "wind-water," aimed at creating harmonious surroundings and harnessing natural energies.
The 53-year-old father of three also described in court how he had enjoyed a passionate sexual relationship with the billionaire heiress, who was more than 20 years his senior.
Judge Macrae said Chan was tarnishing Wang's good name and reputation by making himself her sole beneficiary and diverting the money from her charitable foundation to himself.
Shameless and wicked
Chan managed to get 30 million pounds (US$45 million) from Wang when she was sick and fragile in the last two days of her life, the judge said, calling his behavior shameless and wicked.
Hong Kong police investigators hailed the result. "This shows that no matter how long we take, the Hong Kong judicial system will ensure that any culprit will be subject to the great hand of justice," Ho Pak-ling, an official of the Commercial Crime Bureau, told reporters outside the court.
Known as "Little Sweetie" after a favorite Japanese manga cartoon character, Wang was one of Asia's wealthiest women, with a business empire including the Chinachem Group, Hong Kong's largest private property developer. She died of cancer in 2007, aged 69.
The petite Wang, known for her braided pig-tails, mini-skirts and beloved pet dogs that she took to boardroom meetings, inherited most of her wealth from her husband Teddy, who was kidnapped in 1990 and never seen alive again, despite the payment of a US$33-million ransom.
The sentence is the latest setback for Chan, who was ordered in March to pay HK$340 million in tax arrears.
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