Yang Yin gets nothing from widow's fortune

He once stood to inherit $40 million. Now, Chinese national Yang Yin will get nothing.

In a major victory for elderly widow Chung Khin Chun, her old will leaving her assets to him has been thrown out. Her latest will, where her fortune goes to charity, was recognised by the court yesterday.

"Yang Yin gets nothing, charities get almost everything," Madam Chung's lawyer, Eugene Thuraisingam, told reporters after a 25-minute closed-door hearing at the Family Justice Court yesterday.

The new will replaces an earlier one made in 2010, where Madam Chung's assets - estimated to be worth $40 million - were to go to the former tour guide.

The 88-year-old retired physiotherapist has no children. Her husband Chou Sip King died in 2007.

She met Yang, who is 47 years her junior, when he was her private tour guide in 2008. A year later, he moved into her Gerald Crescent bungalow with her, and was given the right to manage her assets and welfare under the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) scheme she had supposedly given him in 2011.

The LPA was revoked after a court hearing in November. It was a key factor affecting yesterday's decision, said Peter Doraisamy, the lawyer for Madam Chung's niece Hedy Mok, who began legal action against Yang last year.

"The revocation of the LPA suggests very strongly her new intention to move on and not to benefit Mr Yang Yin any further with assets of her estate," Mr Doraisamy added.

He said that the court had considered Madam Chung's intentions in an earlier 1989 will and the draft of a 2009 will, where she had left her assets to charity.

The woman's close friends and family members had also testified that Yang had put "undue influence" on her when she drew up the 2010 will leaving him her fortune, Mr Doraisamy added.

The new will, which was made last December, had to be recognised by the court because Madam Chung was diagnosed with dementia last year.

Both lawyers have waived their legal fees related to the new will, since Madam Chung is leaving her estate to charity.

The court's ruling will have a "positive effect" on an ongoing court case where Madam Mok is seeking full authority to manage her aunt's assets and welfare, said Mr Doraisamy.

Madam Mok, 61, who runs a travel agency, has also accused Yang of manipulating her aunt to seize control of her assets, and is suing him and his family in the High Court to recover money that they have allegedly siphoned away.

Yang, 41, has been in remand since Oct 31 last year. He faces more than 300 charges in total, including two criminal breach of trust charges for allegedly misappropriating $1.1 million from the widow.

Both Madam Mok and Madam Chung, who waited outside the courtroom for the decision yesterday, hugged each other when told of the outcome.

Asked if she was happy about the outcome, a beaming Madam Chung simply said: "Yes!"

Said Madam Mok: "Now we can proceed to set up a trust, sell her house and get her a new home."

Yang's lawyers are meeting him to discuss the court ruling. He has two weeks to appeal.

kcarolyn@sph.com.sg

tohyc@sph.com.sg

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