Former mistress of billionaire 'King of Shoes' in court over disputed flats
Tycoon's former mistress appeals High Court ruling on disputed apartments
A former mistress of "King of Shoes" Patrick Tang Kim-kwan yesterday appealed against a High Court ruling that allowed the billionaire to regain ownership of property he had bought for her.
In the Court of Appeal, lawyers for Karen Lee Chi-ting, 43 and known as Tang's "third wife", said that testimony had been "lost in translation" during the High Court case.
This had contributed to the English-speaking judge erring in the ruling, Lee's camp said.
Tang, 70, is the billionaire head of the shoe-trading empire ATG Sourcing and has an estimated fortune of HK$2 billion.
He had previously said he waged the court battle because he was "sad and embarrassed" by Lee's fling with former Mr Hong Kong Francois Huynh, which was exposed by a magazine in 2009. News of the secret romance ended Lee and Tang's seven-year relationship.
Yesterday, barrister Albert Yau, for Lee, said that when the High Court interpreter had translated Lee's testimony from Cantonese to English, Tang's intention to buy a Metro Harbour View flat for her as a gift was lost.
Lee had testified that Tang told her that the flat was bought for her so that she had something to "hold on to" - a literal English translation, the court heard.