Late Nina Wang gave millions to Democrats, records show
Late Chinachem boss gave HK$4.2m to party and HK$2m to the Foreign Ministry in late 1990s, court learns as will dispute continues
Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum's Chinachem Charitable Foundation gave millions to the Democratic Party in 1997 and 1999, according to records its lawyer referred to in court yesterday.
Frank Hinks QC, a barrister for the foundation, was referring to the documents as he addressed the Court of First Instance. The foundation and the secretary for justice, which has a role as a protector of charities, disagree on how Wang's will should be read and have asked the court for a ruling.
The records of donations and grants show the foundation gave HK$2 million to the party on June 26, 1997, and HK$2.2 million on February 27, 1999.
When Wang fought her legal battle with father-in-law Wang Din-shin over the Chinachem fortune in 2002, the party's founding chairman, Martin Lee Chu-ming, led her legal team.
The records also showed that during the year of the handover, the foundation donated about HK$2 million to the mainland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Wang, thought to have been Asia's richest woman, died of cancer in April 2007, aged 69. Her estate is currently estimated to be worth HK$83 billion.
Under the Trustee Ordinance, the secretary has the power to act if there is a breach of a charitable trust or a need for better administration of it.