Post date: Jul 04, 2013 5:30:23 PM
A Hong Kong jury finds the lover of late billionaire tycoon Nina Wang guilty of forging a will naming him the sole beneficiary of her estimated $4 billion U.S. dollar estate.
HONG KONG, CHINA (JULY 4, 2013) (ATV) - A Hong Kong jury on Thursday (July 4) found the lover of the late billionaire tycoon Nina Wang guilty of forging a will naming him the sole beneficiary of her estimated $4 billion estate, in a high profile probate battle.
After over 20 hours of deliberations, an eight-person jury voted 6 to 2 in the high court to convict Peter Chan, formerly known as Tony Chan, for a charge of forgery.Chan had pleaded not guilty to a number of charges including forgery and using a false instrument.
Hong Kong broadcaster ATV showed Chan entering he court on Thursday swarmed by media, but he was not seen leaving the court after the verdict.
The legal proceedings surrounding the probate saga had transfixed Hong Kongwith revelations of adultery and bizarre rituals associated with "feng shui", a Chinese philosophy literally meaning "wind-water", aimed at creating harmonious surroundings and harnessing natural energies.
Wang, known as "Little Sweetie", was one of Asia's wealthiest women with a business empire including the Chinachem Group, Hong Kong's largest private property developer.
Wang, who was know for dressing like a cartoon character, died of cancer in 2007, aged 69.
The verdict is the latest set-back for the married Chan, who in March was ordered to pay HK$340 million Hong Kong dollars ($43.8 million U.S. dollars) in overdue taxes, and has been hurt financially by the costly, long running legal battle for Wang's estate that he lost in 2011.
Chan changed his name from Tony after the defeat and converted to Christianity this year.
After the verdict, Chan appeared flushed and lowered his head in the witness box but showed no outward emotion.
In 2011, the High Court upheld a previous judgement that a 2006 will leaving Wang's entire $4 billion U.S. dollar estate, one of Asia's largest fortunes, to her former lover and feng shui master was a forgery. Instead, it upheld an earlier will bequeathing her fortune to a charitable foundation.
A sentence is expected from the judge on Friday (July 5) morning.