Chen Zhencong’s inheritance case

Feng shui master Chen Zhencong met Kung Nina in 1992 through former Legislative Council member and his client Leung Kam-ho. At that time, Gong's husband Wang Dehui had been kidnapped and his whereabouts were unknown. Chen Zhencong claimed to know that Wang Dehui was on an island east of Hong Kong. , and was injured, which made Gong Nina look at him differently. Gong Nina initially hoped to find a husband through Feng Shui. After it was confirmed that she had cancer in 2004, she hoped to pray for health and longevity. From 1990 to 2006, Chen Zhencong asked Gong Nina to dig holes in development projects under the Chinachem Group as a Feng Shui array, and he continued to receive huge Feng Shui fees from Gong, totaling up to NT$2.7 billion, including three transactions worth NT$688 million each between 2005 and 2006. payment.

Gong Ruxin died of illness on April 3, 2007, at the age of 69. She made a will in 2002, leaving all her property to the Chinachem Charitable Foundation. On October 16, 2006, Chinachem veteran Wu Chongwu and lawyer Wang Yongxiang were summoned by Gong to the conference hall of Chinachem headquarters to witness and sign an incomplete will, gifting more than 10 million yuan to a person named Chen. . Trial

On May 11, 2009, the trial over Gong Nina’s estate began in the High Court of Hong Kong. According to the law, the last person to make a will shall prevail. Therefore, the authenticity of the will held by Chen Zhencong and the relationship between him and Gong Nina became the key to this case. The Hong Kong High Court ruled that businessman Chen Zhencong lost the estate probate case of the late Chinachem Group Chairman Gong Nina, and the relevant estate will be allocated to the Chinachem Charitable Fund.

Appeal

On February 14, 2011, regarding the estate probate case of the late Chinachem Group Chairman Gong Nina, the Court of Appeal of the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region dismissed the case of businessman Chen Zhencong, the loser in the original trial. appeal. Chen Zhencong's legal representative stated that he will apply to appeal to the Court of Final Appeal of the SAR.

On the 14th, three judges of the Court of Appeal unanimously ruled to reject Chen Zhencong’s appeal. When the Court of Appeal's deputy chief judge Luo Jiezhi read out the ruling, he said that Chen Zhencong was completely dishonest in this case and insisted on pursuing an appeal, abusing the court process. The Court of Appeal therefore dismissed his appeal. The Court of Appeal also ruled that Chen Zhencong must bear most of Chinachem's litigation costs in the original trial and appeal process.

Chan Zhencong’s legal representative later said that he had received instructions to apply to appeal the case to the Court of Final Appeal of the SAR. Chen Zhencong himself also expressed through his public relations company that he was disappointed with the ruling, but respected the outcome and had decided to continue the appeal.

On October 24, 2011, the Court of Final Appeal of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region rejected the appeal of businessman Chen Zhencong in the case of Gong Nina's 100 billion estate. Written reasons will be issued later, which means that Chen Zhencong's estate dispute case is over. Chinachem's lawyer Ho Man-kee said outside the court that he was happy with the ruling and believed that Chen Zhencong would not have to go through legal procedures again. Chen Zhencong's brother Chen Zhenguo did not respond to reporters' questions when he left the court. In the morning, the Court of Final Appeal of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region heard submissions from lawyers representing Chen Zhencong and the Chinachem Charitable Foundation. John Katz, Queen's Counsel of the United Kingdom, who represented Chen Zhencong, said that it would be unfair to Chen Zhencong if the appeal was not approved. He also raised new grounds, saying that the witness was not credible. Provide inconsistencies. Senior barrister Zhang Jianli, representing the Chinachem Charitable Foundation, believes that the court has ruled that the will held by Chen Zhencong is a forgery, and the court does not need to debate this point.

Judgment

On July 4, 2013, Hong Kong businessman Chen Zhencong was suspected of forging the will of the late Chinachem Group Chairman Gong Nina. The jury deliberated for nearly 20 hours over two days. It was announced that Chen Zhencong was guilty of the two charges. He was not allowed to be released on bail and was remanded in custody overnight. The judge rebuked Chen Zhencong for wanting to embezzle the inheritance that was originally a charity. Both counts were sentenced to 12 years in prison, to be executed concurrently. Chen Zhencong, 53, is accused of forging a false document dated October 16, 2006, claiming to be Gong Nina's will between October 15, 2006 and April 8, 2007, and in April 2007. This forged will was used between February 4 and February 3, 2010.

Guilty

The judge of the Hong Kong High Court made a verdict on the morning of the 5th.

The judge said that Chen Zhencong's forged will was carefully planned, which showed that he was extremely greedy; he also said that Gong Nina was a sad and lonely woman when she was critically ill, but Chen Zhencong forged the will cruelly and evilly. The judge believed that Chen Zhencong's attempt to embezzle the inheritance that was originally used for charity was shameless and evil.

Gong Nina was known as the "richest woman in Asia" during her lifetime. In April 2007, Gong Nina died of illness, leaving behind a fortune of nearly 100 billion Hong Kong dollars.

In October of the same year, Chen Zhencong appealed to the SAR High Court, claiming that he held a will signed by Gong Nina in 2006 and was the "sole heir" of Gong's estate. The Chinachem Charitable Foundation, chaired by Gong Nina's younger brother, Gong Renxin, holds the will signed by Gong Nina in 2002, which states that most of the inheritance will be allocated to the Chinachem Charitable Foundation.

In May 2009, the case over Gong Nina’s estate began in the High Court of Hong Kong. On February 2 of the following year, the Hong Kong High Court ruled that Chen Zhencong lost the case. The signature of Gong Nina on his will was forged, and the relevant inheritance would be allocated to the Chinachem Charitable Fund. Afterwards, Chen Zhencong appealed to the Court of Appeal, but was rejected by the Court of Appeal twice in February and October 2010.

On the evening of July 4, 2013, the Hong Kong High Court jury found Chen Zhencong guilty of two counts of forging the will of the late Chinachem Group Chairman Gong Nina and using false documents.