Court Hears Ex-Father-in-Law Got HK$7m Rebate
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong’s High Court heard on Wednesday, October 21, that Kwong Kau, the former father-in-law of slain socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung, received a cash rebate of nearly HK$7 million after a luxury Ho Man Tin flat was bought using Choi’s money . The court was told the flat at Kadooria was bought in 2019 for HK$72 million, with Choi previously having issued two cheques and bought two cashier’s orders to cover the HK$60 million purchase price . Prosecutors allege the property was registered in Kwong’s name to avoid HK$9 million in double stamp duty and later became a major source of conflict when Choi proposed selling it in 2022 . Kwong and his two sons have pleaded not guilty to murder, while the elder Kwong also denied preventing Choi’s burial .
Key Points
- Property agent Marco Wong Tak-sing told the High Court that Kwong Kau asked for a share of the agency’s profit from the 2019 Kadooria sale .
- Wong said the agency received HK$8.18 million commission from the developer and returned HK$6.97 million of it to Kwong, the registered owner .
- The court previously heard Choi paid the HK$60 million purchase price through two cheques and two cashier’s orders for the luxury flat .
- Wong said Kwong separately paid HK$3.09 million in stamp duty, but he did not know where that money had come from .
- Prosecutors allege the dispute over the flat’s proposed 2022 sale became a flashpoint before Choi’s death and the 2023 discovery of her remains .
Why It Matters
The court evidence places a major property transaction at the centre of the prosecution’s account of how a family financial dispute escalated into one of Hong Kong’s most shocking murder cases . For Hong Kong readers, the testimony also shows how ownership arrangements, rebates and stamp-duty considerations in luxury property deals can become crucial evidence in a criminal trial .