In court: Nina Wang’s inheritance battle (1)

Late tycoon Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum wanted to bring the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government together before she died, according to one of her former employees. Chinachem project director Heng Kim-thiam also told the Court of First Instance that his former boss harboured a desire to be recommended for the Nobel Peace Prize and had several dealings with the United Nations.

ninawang-20090514.JPGHeng was testifying on the third day of the sensational inheritance battle between fung shui instructor Tony Chan Chun-chuen and rival the Chinachem Foundation. He told judge Johnson Lam Man-hon that one of Wang’s ambitious plans was to “restart dialogue with the Dalai Lama.”

She also wanted to receive a recommendation for the Nobel Peace Prize, Heng said. He also told the court that Wang had had various dealings with the United Nations and “was recognized for her efforts.” She also set up a scholarship program for members of the People’s Liberation Army to study at the Harvard John F Kennedy School of Government.

Heng went on to describe Wang as an energetic woman who was full of ideas but who was sometimes impractical and occasionally changed her mind after decisions had already been made. “She was very smart and I have much respect [for her],” he said. He noted she was considerate to her employees.

According to Heng, Wang’s business profile began to grow around 1994, when she began involving herself in projects to “give Hong Kong people more confidence” about Hong Kong’s handover to China, and did more for charities. Heng said he rarely saw Wang’s blood family members, the Kungs, except for social functions, in the time he worked for Chinachem. One of Wang’s sisters helped out with the rented properties business, to his knowledge.

In 1997, Wang started undertaking activities which Heng interpreted as demonstrating her confidence in the Hong Kong handover. He said the first time he realized his boss’s health had taken take a turn for the worse was in the second half of 2006, and the last time he talked on the phone with her was in January 2007. During that conversation, he thought Wang was under the influence of medication and did not clearly express what she was saying. Heng also said he was involved in 10 construction projects between 2005 and when Wang died (in 2007). Though her deteriorating health had impacted several of them, some were ongoing today.

Denis Chang, the lawyer for the Chinachem Foundation said there was “very strong evidence” that Wang’s signature on the 2006 will was a forgery, while drawing attention to the will’s inconsistent language with its mix of legalese and affectionate terms.

“It invites the closest scrutiny and vigilance,” he said, arguing that it was a document used in a superstitious ritual she was led to believe would save her life. Chang added that Wang had been critically ill and was unlikely to have been in a position to prepare and sign the will on that day. “Nina never looked upon Chan as the designated heir.”

In the 2006 will, read out in court, Wang named Chan as the executor of her estate, trusting that he would act in a fair and just way for the “need and good of my family and loved ones”.

The crew-cut Chan, who sat in a dark pinstripe suit, smiled occasionally at the court proceedings. His lawyer, Ian Mill, didn’t give his opening submission on the first day’s hearing.

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