Feng Shui Master Is Denied Billionaire’s Estate

[pemberly]

February 3, 2010
Feng Shui Master Is Denied Billionaire’s Estate
By MARK McDONALD

HONG KONG — A judge in Hong Kong ruled Tuesday that the estate of the billionaire known as Little Sweetie will not be going to her feng shui master, who also claimed to have been her lover.

Justice Johnson Lam ruled instead that the billionaire, Nina Wang, intended to leave her estate to her charity, the Chinachem Charitable Foundation, under a will that she drew up in 2002. Mrs. Wang, once the richest woman in Asia, died of cancer in 2007 at the age of 69.

He also invalidated a “feng shui will” from 2006, saying her signature had been forged. That will would have given Mrs. Wang’s entire fortune to her onetime spiritual adviser, Tony Chan. Estimates of Mrs. Wang’s estate have ranged from $4 billion to nearly $13 billion.

Mrs. Wang, an engaging eccentric who wore pigtails and miniskirts well into middle age, was the chairwoman of the Chinachem Group, a real estate and development conglomerate that she and her husband, Teddy Wang, had built together. They also founded the Chinachem charity in 1988.

Their immense wealth attracted gossip, controversy and danger. The couple were kidnapped in 1983, and Mrs. Wang was released to organize a ransom payment. Mr. Wang was eventually set free.

Mr. Wang was kidnapped again in April 1990, and half of a $60 million ransom demand was paid. Some of the kidnappers were arrested in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but Mr. Wang was never seen again.

Feng shui, widely accepted in Hong Kong, is the practice of placing objects or orienting buildings to create positive energy while achieving balance and harmony. Prominent practitioners are sought out for advice on all manner of daily issues, including architecture, interior design, personal relationships, business ventures and illnesses.

Mrs. Wang met Mr. Chan at a luncheon in 1992 while she was trying to find her husband. Mr. Chan gave her a head rub, for which she paid him $6,500, and she asked him for help in her search. Over the years, according to Mr. Chan, Mrs. Wang gave him $258 million for his various services, with sacks of cash occasionally delivered to him late at night.

In his attempts to locate Mr. Wang, and later to cure Mrs. Wang of cancer, Mr. Chan ordered that deep holes be dug at various auspicious sites around Hong Kong. As many as 80 holes were dug, some of them 30 feet deep, and jade pieces, gems, statuary and ancient coins were sometimes buried in them. Other practices included the smearing of chicken blood on the coins and the burning of real bank notes with verses written on them.

Mr. Chan, through his attorneys, claimed he and Mrs. Wang had a 15-year affair that lasted until her death. He put his relationship with Mrs. Wang “on par with that between wife and husband,” the judge noted in his ruling. “He said Nina addressed him as ‘hubby pig’ and ‘hubbykins.’ ”

Mr. Chan has been married since 1992 — his wife even socialized and traveled with Mrs. Wang — and he has three children, one of whom is named Wealthee Chan. Justice Lam noted in his ruling that there had never been any suggestion that Mr. Chan, 50, would leave his wife for Mrs. Wang.

“Giving him gifts or even large sums of money during Nina’s lifetime when he made her happy is one thing,” the judge said. “Making him her sole heir in respect of her entire estate (carrying with it the responsibility of running the Chinachem business empire and implementing her charitable objectives) is quite different.”

He also ruled that Mrs. Wang’s signature on the 2006 will that Mr. Chan claimed was authentic was a well-executed forgery.

Mrs. Wang died of cancer in 2007 despite Mr. Chan’s ministrations and his assurances that Buddha had told him she would live to be 90. The judge commented that the “hole-digging exercises did not bring about the cure.”

Mr. Chan had been a bartender and held several other jobs before declaring himself a feng shui master and befriending Mrs. Wang.

Justice Lam also had some sobering words on Tuesday about feng shui masters and their trade.

“As far as Hong Kong is concerned, any person can run a feng shui class or hold himself out as a feng shui practitioner or master,” the judge said in his 326-page ruling. “There is no independent objective assessment, and thus no quality assurance whatsoever.”

The South China Morning Post reported that Mr. Chan’s attorneys said Tuesday that they would appeal.

reposted from nytimes

[kidd]

Poor Mr.Wang. Feel sad for him. The judge made the right decision. Better give the fortune to charities then giving to this Feng Shui master who seems to have cheated the woman a lot of money.

[charbydis]

I seriously don't believe they were lovers. Nina Wang and her husband were childhood sweethearts and she never stopped looking for him. Godd for the Juudge. This money should not go to that cheat.

[yittz]

Right decision. Should convict him of forgery.

Already got 200+ million for doing jackshit. Still greedy enough for wanting more. All this feng shui bs full of random placebo crap.