Barrister denies using fake will in property claim

A barrister used a fake will to claim the property of a prominent calligraphy master, the District Court heard yesterday.

Wong Kwai-sang, 50, allegedly submitted the will of Au Shu-cham to the High Court in October 2009. The will named Wong as executor and his sister, who learned calligraphy from Au and lived with him for more than two decades, as beneficiary.

However, police later found that Au's signature on the will, and that of a witness, were fake.

Wong, who pleaded not guilty to nine charges, is also accused of using bank slips with Au's fake signature to transfer HK$15,400 from a joint account Au held with his godson.

He faces six charges of theft relating to sums of between HK$300 and HK$5,000 and one each of using a false instrument, using a copy of a false instrument and lying under oath.

Prosecutor Louisa Lai told the court that Au, who also worked as a film actor and set designer, began teaching calligraphy in 1986. Wong's elder sister Wong Choi-chuk was a pupil and shared his home in Sai Yuen Lane, Western district, from 1986 to 2008.

Au sold his home to his godson, Cheung Wai-ming, for HK$1 million in May 1997. Cheung, who does not live in Hong Kong, allowed Au to stay in the flat. The two set up a joint bank account and Cheung paid HK$5,000 to the account each month.

Au had lived alone since Ms Wong moved out in 2008 and he died of natural causes there in July 2009 at the age of 75.

A month later, Wong sought adverse possession of Au's flat on the grounds that Au had lived there for years without payment. That case is yet to be decided.

He claimed Au made a will on June 16, 2009 naming Wong as executor of his estate and Wong's sister as sole beneficiary.

Wong was appointed executor and used a copy of the will to claim Au's belongings and withdraw money from his account.

But after suspicions were raised an examiner found that Au's signatures on the will and bank slips were false.

Wong was arrested in September last year. When Au made the will, Wong said, it was signed by a man named Ip Chiu-hung. The appointment of Wong as executor was witnessed by a man named as "Uncle Wah" and Wong's late father.

But police found that Ip never signed the will and that "Uncle Wah" never existed. The case continues tomorrow.