Peter Chan guilty of forging will of late tycoon Nina Wang
Peter Chan Chun-chuen convicted of scheme to claim fortune of late billionaire Nina Wang
Looking scared and red-faced, Peter Chan Chun-chuen was locked up on Thursday after he was found guilty of forging a will purportedly left by late billionaire Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum.
After almost 20 hours of deliberation, a Court of First Instance jury of five men and three women found the 53-year-old businessman, previously known as Tony Chan, guilty of forgery and using a false instrument. He will be sentenced on Friday.
Chan, who faces a maximum jail term of 14 years for each of offence, bit his lips and breathed deeply, as he heard the verdict.”Mr Chan, you will be remanded in custody overnight pending sentencing,” Mr Justice Andrew Macrae said.
Before Chan was led away to the custody, he removed his tie and his watch and smiled at his lawyers.
The jury found Chan guilty of forgery by a 6-2 vote. They reached a 7-1 vote on the count of using a false instrument.
Chan’s wife Tam Miu-ching, his brother Ricky Chan Chun-kwok and his daughter Polly Lon Pui-chun sobbed as they heard the verdict.
Emotional, they would not answer how they felt about the verdict and whether Chan would lodge an appeal.Chan’s family left the court building at about 10pm after having a meeting with the lawyers for an hour.
The court also heard for the first time that Chan had 10 previous criminal convictions relating to dishonest applications of credit cards by claiming to be a qualified medical doctor working in public hospitals, earning more than HK$460,000 each year.
He was fined HK$20,000 in 1986 after he pleaded guilty to 10 counts including obtaining property by deception and obtaining services by deception.
In a rare application, the prosecution asked the court to order Chan to pay the HK$2.11million costs the prosecution incurred in a preliminary inquiry requested by Chan.
“There is an issue whether taxpayers of Hong Kong should be liable for the costs of the prosecution,” Prosecutor David Perry QC said.
There is an issue whether taxpayers of Hong Kong should be liable for the costs of the prosecution
Perry also asked that Chan be liable for HK$86,568 arose from DNA examination, also requested by Chan.
Perry said normally a defendant was not required to pay prosecution costs but Chan’s conduct throughout the case made it a suitable case for the court to make such an order.
Mr Justice Andrew Macrae had not made a ruling on the application.
Perry added that there were no case authorities that resembled the facts of Chan’s crime.
He added that there was no sentencing guideline on making and using a false document.
During the trial, the court was served salacious details of the relationship between Wang and Chan.
The court was shown a video recording supplied by Chan showing Wang and himself locking lips and his hands running all over her body.
The court also heard Chan’s claim that he had a passionate sexual relationship with Wang, who was 23 years his senior.
Additional reporting by Patsy Moy
