Lover loses claim for billionaire's estate

A barman who had an affair with one of the world's richest women lost his claim for her billions today when a court ruled her will was a forgery.

The legal battle over the late Nina Wang's fortune has fascinated Hong Kong, offering a glimpse into the private lives of the ultra-rich in the money-obsessed city.

Ms Wang died of cancer in April 2007 aged 69. The court case centred on two competing wills - the 2006 will held by feng shui master and bartender Tony Chan Chun-chuen and a 2002 will that left her fortune to a charity set up by her and her husband.

High Court Judge Lam Man-hon ruled that Chan's will was forgery and upheld the 2002 will.

The judge accepted that Ms Wang and Chan - more than 20 years her junior - had an intimate relationship.

But he said the affair was a secret Ms Wang wanted to bury and when it came to her estate, "she placed a higher regard on her charitable objectives than the defendant," the summary said.

"The court does not believe that their relationship was such that Nina was prepared to give him her entire estate irrespective of her other commitments and responsibilities.

"Giving him gifts or even large sums of money during Nina's lifetime when he made her happy is one thing. Making him her sole heir in respect of her entire estate is quite different," according to the document.

The court ruled that the purported Wang signature on the 2006 will is a "highly skilled simulation."

One of Chan's lawyers, Jonathan Midgley, said his client was "extremely disappointed" and plans to appeal.

"We have won now. There is justice in this world," Ms Wang's brother, Kung Yan-sum, said after the verdict.

Chan captivated public attention during the trial with his claims that he and Ms Wang were so intimate that she left him a pair of her pigtails. Chan himself gave evidence they were having an affair when his wife was pregnant with their eldest son, telling the court that Ms Wang called him her "husband."

Adding to the mystery surrounding Chan was his work history that included bartender, waiter, machinery salesman, market researcher and computer parts exporting. He said that when he became a feng shui consultant he once advised a client to burn real money.

The ruling marked another episode in the colourful saga of Ms Wang, nicknamed in Hong Kong as "Little Sweetie" for her girlish outfits and hairdo.

In 2007, Forbes magazine ranked her as the world's No. 204 richest person with a fortune of 4.2 billion dollars, but it is not clear how much her fortune is currently worth because Chinachem Group is a private company.