Woman accused of being Xi ally’s secret child considers lawsuit against exiled tycoon Guo Wengui
Australia resident calls fugitive billionaire’s social media claims ‘absurd’ and suggests she will consult a New York defamation lawyer about her legal options
Yuge Bromley, the wife of Melbourne, Australia-based artist David Bromley, described Guo’s allegation that she was the illegitimate daughter of Wang Qishan, the Communist Party’s top anti-graft official, as “incredibly ridiculous and unbelievable”.
“Everything he has said and all the subsequent commentary on social media is not only completely false but deeply hurtful to me and my family,” Bromley said in an email to the South China Morning Post.
The Post got in touch of Bromley in an attempt to verify the claims made by Guo over the weeks. Guo has refused to talk to the Post and so far has not published evidence to back up his claims.
Living in self-imposed exile in his New York penthouse for more than two years, Guo, also known as Miles Kwok, has been the subject of an Interpol “red notice” since April after using social media to publicise allegations of corruption against senior party officials and business people over six months.
He went on Twitter last week accusing Wang – who is believed to be President Xi Jinping’s top ally – of a series of wrongdoings.
Wang is the Politburo Standing Committee member in charge of the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Guo,who has close ties to disgraced former state security vice-minister Ma Jian, has claimed he has sufficient evidence to back up his allegations. So far, Guo has displayed just one photograph of Bromley.
“Up until he broadcast my name and image on his YouTube channel and website, I had never heard of the guy nor had any contact with him nor the political people he is alleging I have any relationships with,” Bromley said.
“Since then, I and my family have been inundated with social media and internet barrages about the allegations, none of which we wish to dignify other than with a complete denial.”
She added she was seeking advice from a defamation lawyer in New York, but did not elaborate.
Chinese real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi, the head of the Hong Kong-listed property company Soho China, filed a defamation suit against Guo in the US last week, making him the first big name to hit back at Guo over his allegations.
Pan’s US suit, filed in the Supreme Court of New York, responds to claims last month by Guo about Soho’s ownership.
Hu Shuli, editor of Caixin Media, a prominent mainland outlet, has filed libel lawsuits in both Beijing and Hong Kong against Guo over allegations implicating Hu and Caixin.
Hu has asked a New York court to compel Guo to turn over documents and recordings that prove his claims, according to court documents.
