The trial of the murder and dismemberment of Abby Choi continued on Thursday (Oct. 8), with her mother telling the court that her daughter had been "swindled out of her money" and accusing her former husband's family of being "bloodsuckers" who had contributed "not a single dollar."
Choi, 28, was allegedly murdered and dismembered in 2023. Her ex-husband Kwong Kong-chi, her former brother-in-law Kwong Kong-kit and her former father-in-law Kwong Kau are charged with murder and preventing the lawful burial of a body.
Choi's mother, Cheung Yin-fa, was questioned by counsel for Kwong Kau. The defence suggested that the combined balances in three of Choi's bank accounts totalled about HK$6.4 million, making it difficult for her to pay for a property in Tuen Mun.
Cheung said that five days before Choi's death, her daughter had told her that she would give her HK$5 million. Cheung also said her daughter "never told lies" and that "her money was swindled away."
While giving evidence, Cheung said the family had high monthly expenses, including domestic helpers, a chef and children's school fees, which amounted to about HK$500,000 a month. She accused the Kwong family of being "bloodsuckers", saying they had "not given a single dollar."
The defence also questioned Cheung about financial support from the Tam family to Choi. Cheung said the Tam family regarded Choi as their "treasure" and that she had once seen Tam Chak-kwan give Choi a cheque worth more than HK$100 million.
Cheung said the Tam family had given Choi about HK$300 million as well as a flat at The Manhattan Hills.
The defence suggested that Choi's income from working as a social media influencer and model was limited, at less than HK$10,000 a month. Cheung disagreed.
The defence further said that although the Tam family had provided Choi with allowances, it had stopped giving her amounts exceeding HK$10 million from 2020. Cheung said that, according to what Choi had told her, the financial support had continued after her marriage.
The defence pointed to documents showing that Choi had less than HK$3.5 million in a DBS Bank account, more than HK$2 million in a Citibank account and less than HK$1 million in a Standard Chartered account. It said Choi had planned to purchase a Tuen Mun property worth about HK$20 million, but did not have sufficient funds on hand to buy it.
Cheung, who became one of the administrators of Choi's estate after her death, disagreed with the defence's argument. She said that five days before Choi died, her daughter had told her she would give her HK$5 million and that there was an audio recording as evidence.
The defence suggested that Choi had not told her mother the full truth. Cheung rejected the suggestion, saying: "She never told lies." She added: "Her money was swindled away."
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