Siew Kim left behind a RM1.6 billion (US$394 million) estate, with two of her daughters Chan T’Shiao Li and Kimberly Chan T’Shiao Miin receiving cash bequests of RM900,000 and RM100,000, respectively, according to her final will dated April 28, 2022.
But the sisters later discovered a will dated Nov. 2, 2021, that originally gave them RM10 million each, and another one dated April 11, 2022, that reduced the bequests to the amounts in the final version. This prompted the sisters to file a lawsuit contesting the will.
Low Beng Choo, the lawyer who prepared the two April 2022 wills, was asked at the ongoing trial for the case on Tuesday whether Siew Kim had explained why she chose to reduce the bequests.
“She (Siew Kim) said the first plaintiff (T’Shiao Li) and her husband were stealing and making false claims from the companies that they were involved in and she felt very betrayed and upset,” Low explained, as quoted by the New Straits Times.
Siew Kim allegedly cited two incidents involving Kimberly. The first concerned allegations Kimberly had made about her mother’s mental state in separate legal proceedings. The second was an argument over whether life support should be continued when Siew Kim’s husband was hospitalized, according to Low.
Low said Siew Kim allegedly did not want to leave anything to the two plaintiffs when the second will was being drafted, but she later left reduced amounts instead after further discussion.
Low, who is one of four defendants named in the suit, told the court that the daughters’ bequests were also discussed again during the preparation of the third and final will.
“We discussed this, and I, in fact, told her that, at the end of the day, they are your daughters. I asked her whether she wanted to change the cash bequests of RM900,000 and RM100,000, respectively,” Low recounted, as quoted by national news agency Bernama.
“She gave me a very angry and definite response: ‘No change. They don’t deserve it. They are lucky that I am providing some.’”
Low also stated that Siew Kim was of sound mind and remained alert and lucid during the signing of all three wills.
“In all my years knowing her, [I have always found her] to be feisty. She knew what she wanted and she knew what she was doing,” Low said, as quoted by The Edge Malaysia.
She also told the court that she was unaware Siew Kim had been prescribed morphine between March and May 2022 when she obtained her signature.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer at one point objected to Low’s testimony, arguing that it was hearsay. The trial is set to continue on July 27.
The billionaire heiress’s estate
Siew Kim was the youngest daughter of Lim Goh Tong, who founded the Genting business empire and was ranked Malaysia’s third-richest man at the time of his passing in October 2007, according to Forbes.
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Lim Goh Tong, founder of Genting Group. Photo from the company’s website |
Siew Kim died of cancer at 73 in July 2022 and was survived by a son and three daughters, two of whom are the plaintiffs in the case.
The son, Marcus Chan Jau Chwen, was entitled to 30% of her residuary estate, in addition to properties in Kuala Lumpur, shares in a company and control of all her safe deposit boxes.
The eldest daughter, Cressa Chan T’shiao Yunn, received RM10 million, a Kuala Lumpur property and company shares. Cressa’s daughter was also given a monthly allowance of RM50,000.
Additionally, 70% of the residuary estate went to the Dikim Foundation, a charity founded by Siew Kim and her late husband.
Low is currently Dikim’s sole trustee, but she has stressed that she does not benefit through the foundation.
“This is a trust; there are rules, laws, constitutionality,” Low told the court on Tuesday, per The Edge Malaysia, noting that the 70% allocation to the foundation appeared in all three wills, including the 2021 version that she did not draft.
Low also said she received no gifts or other benefits for preparing the wills, only the legal fees for her services. She added that she did not charge Siew Kim for services related to the third and final will.
According to the plaintiffs, the existence of multiple wills drafted in a short timespan that outline markedly different allocations of the estate constitutes “suspicious circumstances” and did not reflect their mother’s true intentions or sound judgment at the time.
Low has denied any involvement in the alleged “suspicious circumstances” and maintained that the final will accurately reflects Siew Kim’s wishes.
The suit also names the plaintiffs’ brother Marcus and the estate’s executors and trustees, Malcolm Fernandez and Chan Mei Yee, as defendants.
Source:e.vnexpress.net
