Stanley Ho sues family despite TV denial

During the past month, the intra-family battle over control of billionaire Stanley Ho Hung-sun's casino empire has played out in back rooms, boardrooms, newsrooms and living rooms in Hong Kong and Macau.

Yesterday, the dispute entered a new, perhaps unavoidable venue: the courtroom.

Ho lodged a lawsuit formally accusing five of his children, two of his four wives and his long-time banker of 'improperly and/or illegally' seizing control of the holding company that controls the bulk of his fortune.

The 89-year-old father of 17 children is suing: daughters Daisy, Pansy, Maisy and Josie, eldest surviving son Lawrence, their mother Lucina Laam King-ying, Ho's third wife Ina Chan Un Chan and his long-serving lieutenant and banker Patrick Huen Wing-ming, says the High Court writ filed by lawyer Gordon Oldham late on Wednesday and made public yesterday morning.

Ho's suit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction in dealing in shares of Lanceford Company Limited, the firm that ultimately holds most of his wealth. The suit alleges that control of Lanceford was 'improperly and/or illegally' acquired via a massive share issuance last month that diluted his stake to 0.02 per cent from 100 per cent.

Ho's allegations against his family members were first published in the South China Morning Post on Tuesday. Like several conflicting Ho family letters and statements to have emerged in the press this week, the 'endorsement of claim' attached to the lawsuit carries the signature of Stanley Ho. Ho's legal claim came a day after he appeared on television saying he would not be suing family members and calling for an end to the familial infighting.

The Cantonese-language footage from TVB showed Ho seated in a padded wheelchair, reading script from a large cue card at the home of third wife Chan who - along with his second wife Laam King-ying and daughters Pansy, Daisy and Maisy - stood by and watched as he read.