TRUSTEES of Hong Kong lawyer Gary Alderdice, murdered in Vladivostok last week, have launched an investigation into his bank accounts and financial affairs.
The inquiry follows claims he had up to US$150,000 in cash with him when he was killed.
Solicitors will examine the ''paper trail'' of when, where and how he withdrew money, how much it was and what it was used for.
The task is expected to be an onerous one because of Alderdice's punting habits which often involved a large turnover of cash. However, it may be the only means of tracing the final months of his life.
Alderdice and his Russian lover, Natalia Samoflavoa, were found dead in a Vladivostok apartment last week. Samoflavoa had been tortured and shot in the head.
The former Queen's Counsel had been in financial difficulty before he was murdered, cutting short his stay at the luxury Westin Resort in Macau by two weeks because he was worried he would not be able to pay the bill, a source at the resort said yesterday.