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Tussle over widow's $40m assets: Ex-guide's parents named as parties to suit
Published on Nov 27, 2014 5:52 AM
Yang Yin is currently in police remand after Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon struck down an earlier order made by the State Courts to grant him bail.
By Carolyn Khew
First it was Yang Yin, then his wife.
Now his parents in China, along with a woman who bailed him out earlier, could be made defendants in a civil suit alleging that the former China tour guide manipulated a multimillionaire widow into handing him control of her wealth.
The lawyer for Madam Hedy Mok, the widow's niece, revealed this yesterday following a 30-minute pre-trial conference at the High Court.
Mr Andrew Lee said an application has been filed to include Yang's parents - Mr Yang Sannan, 71, and Madam He Xianglan, 67 - as parties to the suit. The retirees live in Zhejiang, China.
Singaporean Ong Gek Lie, who paid $15,000 to bail out 40-year- old Yang after his arrest in September, has also been included in that application. She is in her 40s and is believed to have previously worked as a tour guide.
Yesterday's revelations came just a day after an application by the 87-year-old widow, Madam Chung Khin Chun, to revoke the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) she gave Yang in 2012 was granted.
This meant that Yang no longer has a say in her affairs.
Lawyer Valerie Ang, representing Yang Yin on behalf of his lawyers, said they were considering an appeal against Monday's decision by the Family Court which paved the way for the revocation.
It ruled that Madam Chung had the mental capacity to cancel the 2012 LPA, despite having been diagnosed with dementia earlier this year.
Yang had moved into Madam Chung's $30 million home in Gerald Crescent in 2009, a year after acting as her tour guide during a Beijing trip.
In 2010, she changed her will to appoint him sole executor and beneficiary of her estate on her death. Two years later, she applied for the LPA, which gave him control of her assets - worth around $40 million - in case she loses her mental capacity to manage her affairs.
In September, Madam Mok evicted Yang, his wife and two young children from the bungalow and launched a series of legal actions against him.
It is not known how much the 60-year-old tour agency owner, is seeking from the parties. But she has successfully applied to freeze the assets of Yang and those of his wife, Madam Weng Yandan, 34, who returned to China in September.
The next hearing is scheduled for Dec 15, said Mr Lee.
Earlier this month, Yang was charged with 331 counts of faking receipts at his music and dance studio. The receipts allegedly made it seem that his firm, through which he eventually obtained permanent residency, was a viable business and had received $450,000 in payment for services.
Yang is currently in police remand after Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon struck down an earlier order made by the State Courts to grant him bail.
The criminal case will be mentioned again next Thursday.
Yang had previously said that Madam Chung wanted him as a "grandson". Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao also quoted his parents as saying that their son is very filial and has never committed any crime.
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