Nan Fung founder Chen Din-hwa died of natural causes, inquest rules

The late founder of property developer Nan Fung Group died of dementia and prostate cancer last year, the Coroner's Court ruled yesterday.

Chen Din-hwa, 89, died of natural causes, a jury concluded unanimously after a half-day hearing before Coroner Michael Chan Pik-kiu.

The inquest was required because Chen was under a guardianship order from the Social Welfare Department when he died on June 17.

His family is in dispute over his multibillion-dollar estate.

Chen was suffering from final-stage prostate cancer when he was admitted to the private Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital in Happy Valley in January last year. The cancer had spread to other parts of his body, including the lymph nodes, liver and lungs, his doctor, neurologist Dr Bell Tse Sing-sang, testified.

Chen was also suffering from Alzheimer's disease, which he was diagnosed with in 1995. He could not swallow food and had to use a feeding tube.