Man accused of forging dead lover's will

Hong Kong police today arrested a 50-year-old fortune teller accused of forging a will that left him the multibillion-dollar estate of his late lover, the tycoon Nina Wang.

Two wills emerged after Ms Wang, one of the world’s richest women, died of cancer at age 69 in April 2007 – one leaving her fortune to a charity she set up with her late husband, and another naming feng shui adviser Tony Chan Chun-chuen as the beneficiary.

A Hong Kong court yesterday ruled that the will that benefited Chan is a forgery.

Hong Kong police spokeswoman Anne Lam said police arrested Chan Wednesday afternoon in connection to a document forgery case. Ms Lam said Chan had not been charged immediately.

Television footage showed a police motorcade leaving the residential complex where Chan lives, but many of the vehicles were curtained. Officers took computers and documents from Chan’s house.

The will case has fascinated the city, with its details about Chan’s affair with Ms Wang, who was nicknamed “Little Sweetie” for her girlish outfits and pigtail hairdo.

Chan, who started seeing Ms Wang when his wife was pregnant with their eldest son, said they were genuinely in love, sharing a passion for cooking, model helicopters and feng shui – the Chinese art of improving luck by arranging objects or choosing dates.

But High Court Judge Lam Man-hon ruled against Chan today, describing him as a scheming sycophant who used a forged will to cheat Ms Wang of her fortune.

Ms Wang’s company, the privately held developer Chinachem Group, is worth at least tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars, according to her family.

Chan said yesterday he was innocent and that he will appeal the ruling.

Jonathan Midgley, one of Chan’s lawyers, was not immediately available for comment.