A seemingly intimate couple - that is the impression from a photograph provided by legal firm Haldanes to lend authenticity to a 2006 will purportedly written by Asia's wealthiest woman Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum bequeathing her multibillion-dollar fortune to her entrusted fung shui master, Tony Chan Chun-chuen.
The photo - believed to have been taken in the early 1990s - depicts Wang in a casual pose with the 48-year- old medical practitioner-turned-fortune teller, and offers an insight into the personal life of one of Hong Kong's most colorful and mysterious tycoons.
Wang is pictured wearing no earrings, necklaces or rings, sitting elegantly and dressed in a white long- sleeved silk blouse in contrast to her usual blue jeans.
The late Chinachem chairwoman, with her hair tied back at the top of her head, smiles gently with her arms crossed on a chair and her legs stretched and parted.
Chan, believed to have been in his early thirties when the picture was taken, is smiling, dressed in a smart, casual light-colored checked suit, dark trousers and a light blue shirt. He has his left hand in his trouser pocket and his right hand touching Wang's elbow on top of her chair.
Revealing the somewhat special relationship between Wang and his client at a press conference Friday, Haldanes partner Jonathan Midgley said: "Chan is honored by the trust and affection which Wang has shown in passing her estate into his care."
Haldanes also prepared discs and color printouts of the photograph of Chan and Wang for the dozens of journalists jamming the function room of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wan Chai.
Midgley added: "The photograph that was used at Mrs Wang's funeral was provided by Mr Chan to the Kung family and was one of a series taken in the early 1990s. The photo we'll provide shows Mrs Wang and Mr Chan together. We thought that, in the circumstances, this was appropriate."
However, a long-time friend of Wang who is also an old acquaintance of Chan, who requested anonymity, told The Standard he was shocked and furious at seeing a private photo of Wang and Chan together being exposed and distributed to the media.
"How can he [Chan] expose their private relationship for the sake of proving the authenticity of the will just two days after her funeral? He should have protected her name and be grateful for what she had done for him," the 40-year-long friend of Wang said.
"The photo might be an effective tool for proving a special friendship between him and Nina, but it hurts her and the feelings of those who respected and loved her."
"Articles have appeared in the press alleging the Kung family has been hostile to my client. We understand this does not reflect the views of the Kung family," said Midgley, who instead conveyed Chan's goodwill and regards to the Kung family.
"He [Chan] understands this is the wish of Mrs Wang's family, who are naturally saddened by their loss and whose feelings he wished to respect.
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