Prosecutors link luxury flat dispute to Abby Choi murder plot
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
At Hong Kong’s High Court, prosecutors said the alleged murder of Abby Choi was rooted in a money and property dispute involving a nearly HK$60 million flat at Kadoorie Hill. They told jurors Choi bought the flat in 2019 for the children she had with former husband Kwong Hong-chi, but registered it in former father-in-law Kwong Kau’s name to reduce stamp duty because she already owned another flat. According to the prosecution, relations deteriorated when Choi later decided to sell the property, leading to repeated clashes with Kwong Kau and an alleged belief that Choi’s death would leave the flat in his name. The prosecution further alleged that Kwong Kau then involved his two sons in a plan to kill Choi, with a remote village house rented as the first step for disposing of her body.
Key Points
- Three defendants — former brother-in-law Kwong Kong-kit, former father-in-law Kwong Kau and former husband Kwong Hong-chi — deny murder over Choi’s death on 21 February 2023.
- On the charge of preventing lawful burial, Kwong Kong-kit and Kwong Hong-chi have admitted the offence, while Kwong Kau has denied it.
- Prosecutors said Choi bought the Kadoorie Hill flat for about HK$60 million in 2019, but put it in Kwong Kau’s name to avoid higher stamp duty.
- The prosecution said Choi had also let the Kwong family live there, bought them a seven-seater vehicle, and hired one or two domestic helpers
- Prosecutors alleged Kwong Kau rented a remote Lung Mei Tsuen village house, knowing Choi’s school-run routine created a chance to isolate her in transit.
Why It Matters
The prosecution case places a family property arrangement, made for tax reasons and child-care convenience, at the centre of one of Hong Kong’s most closely watched murder trials. For Hong Kong readers, the evidence being outlined in court also shows how informal ownership structures and family dependency can become critical issues once relationships collapse.