While former Hong Kong actress Ella Koon (官恩娜) has stepped away from the limelight after tying the knot and becoming a mother, her name was recently in the news – but it’s not for something she did. Instead, the public figure got caught in a family inheritance dispute with her aunts over her late grandmother’s wealth.
According to reports, the Hong Kong High Court has commenced hearings in an inheritance case involving Ella’s family. The case centres on a will left by Ella’s grandmother, Lo Siu Fong (勞笑鳳), who passed away in September 2014. The will stipulated that Lo’s estate, valued at over HK$40 million (approximately over RM21.5 million), will be left to a man named Fung Ming Ip (馮明業). However, Fung is not a family member but a close friend of Ella’s mother, Mak Ngan Lai (麥銀麗), who Lo treated as a godson.
The decision to leave Lo’s estate to a non-family member prompted Ella’s maternal aunts, Mak Ngun Tai (麥銀娣), Mak Lai Ping (麥麗萍) and Mak Mei Wa (麥美華), to take legal action, arguing that the will is invalid. The actress’ aunts claimed that their mother has cognitive impairment and anxiety. These health issues meant she lacked the mental capacity to create a valid will. They also allege that Ella’s family had influenced the elderly because she lived with them before her death and reduced their contact with their mother.
Further complicating the inheritance dynamic is that Ella’s aunts claim that over half of the assets were improperly transferred to Ella’s brother, Jamis Koon (官仲銘). They argued that Lo was unaware of this transfer, making it illegal. Ella also reportedly received a sum of her grandmother’s estate but it was never proven. Due to these allegations, Ella and Jamis were identified as key witnesses to the case. However, both siblings have chosen not to testify in the proceedings.
We have yet to know the final verdict as the case is ongoing. It’s also unlikely that Ella would speak publicly on this matter – but we wish for a smooth proceeding for her and her family. What are your thoughts on this?
Sources: Yahoo News, Oriental Daily, Dimsum Daily, HK01
