Joseph Lau slams ‘greedy’ ex-girlfriend in video interview, confirms he wrote newspaper statement about breakup
Tycoon also reveals he had kidney transplant, can now play mahjong for hours
Fugitive tycoon Joseph Lau Luen-hung, despite being said to be very ill, appeared articulate in a video interview during which he accused ex-girlfriend Yvonne Lui Lai-kwan of being greedy and dismissed speculation that he had been forced to pen a statement about their breakup.
Lau, 65, who was speaking to the Apple Daily on Tuesday after running a full-page announcement in local newspapers about the end of his relationship with Lui in 2014, also revealed he had undergone a kidney transplant and could now play mahjong for hours.
His appearance served to dispel rumours that the statement had not been written by him. Speculation had been rife due to Lau’s list of health problems, including renal failure, heart disease and diabetes, which had been disclosed in recent court hearings. He was also said to have been experiencing speech problems since September.
Explaining why he broke up with Lui, 37, a former Miss Hong Kong semi-finalist, chemistry doctorate holder and mother of two of his children, Lau said: “I’ve known Chan [Hoi-wan, his long-time partner] for more than 10 years, and she has never asked me to buy her gifts or to give her money.”
Lau also has two children with Chan, 37.
“But Lui Lai-kwan has been asking for money with different excuses. And she never got enough,” the tycoon said.
“Even you give her HK$10 billion, she will still betray me for HK$1 ... she’s greedy forever.”
In his newspaper statement, the controlling shareholder of stock market-listed developer Chinese Estates Holdings said he had given Lui money, jewellery and other gifts worth more than HK$2 billion in total over the years.
Lau described Lui as a calculating person, recalling that she would ask him to pay her back for the HK$2,000 to HK$3,000 tips she gave waiters at the high-end Fook Lam Moon restaurant they frequented in Wan Chai.
During the interview, he also disclosed that he had already had a kidney transplant, while complaining that Lui had been absent during his hospital stays, and that she did not know about the operation.
Lau dismissed speculation that he had been under someone else’s custody, saying he had been in direct contact with many colleagues and siblings.
“I played mahjong for six hours yesterday ... do I look disorientated?”
Lau said he would have kicked Lui out long ago if she were not the mother of his two children. He had earlier said that she was allowed to stay in his house for their sake.
Later on Tuesday, in response to questions from Apple Daily, Lui asked Lau not to be angry with her anymore. She also urged him not to give up on her, and said she was willing to change herself for him.
