'Shoe King' recovers properties from former lover
'King of Shoes' Patrick Tang Kim-kwan won a partial victory yesterday in a court battle to regain ownership of four properties he bought for his ex-mistress.
The High Court ruled that Tang, 69, the billionaire head of the shoe-trading empire ATG Sourcing, could take back properties in Hung Hom and Tai Kok Tsui from his ex-lover Karen Lee Chi-ting, 42, previously known as Tang's 'third wife'.
But Tang, who has an estimated fortune of HK$2 billion, lost his claim to two other properties - an office in Jordan and half ownership of a house in Sai Kung, which together are now worth more than HK$20 million.
The four properties are together thought to be worth about HK$28 million.
Tang waged the court battle because he was 'sad and embarrassed' by Lee's fling with former Mr Hong Kong Francois Huynh, which was exposed by a magazine in 2009, ending their seven-year relationship.
'The result is like the division of wealth between a divorcing husband and wife,' Lee said, adding that she hoped the matter could now end. 'The husband gets some and the wife gets some. There is no winner and no loser in this case.'
Tang did not return calls for comment.