Rogerio Lam back in court amid legal saga

The son of a Hang Seng Bank founder is beset by legal woes for the sixth time in a year.

Rogerio Lam Sou-fung, son of the late Lam Bing-yam, is being sued by Kwong Wan Realty for HK$177,335, including the rent of his luxury Mid-Levels flat.

In the Court of First Instance writ the company, a subsidiary of developer Hysan, said Lam had signed a tenancy agreement on June 15, 2011 to rent the third-floor flat at Bamboo Grove for two years for HK$70,000 a month and two parking spaces at the estate for HK$2,000 a month.

But he has not paid the rent and other charges, including management fees and rates, since November last year, and the fees for the parking spaces since October, the writ says. It also says Lam often made late rent payments.

The company is also seeking his eviction from the flat.

This is the latest in a string of legal proceedings involving Lam. In October last year, the company sued him for rent and sought his eviction from another, HK$99,000-a-month, flat at Bamboo Grove.

The same month luxury-car dealer Auto Italia sued him for HK$1.3 million owed for the purchase of two Maserati cars.

In September last year, Hang Fai Finance sued Lam for failing to make repayments on a HK$3 million loan.

Also in that month, Lam sued auction house Sotheby’s for HK$8.9 million in proceeds from sales of antiques.

The High Court earlier found that his long-term legal adversary George Tan Soon-gin, former head of the failed Carrian Group, wrongfully sold the antiques at a Sotheby’s auction. Tan had borrowed the antiques from Lam in 1982.

In February last year, Lam succeeded in getting Tan declared bankrupt after Tan failed to repay a debt of more than HK$60 million. The two men have been at loggerheads for more than 20 years.