Abby Choi's husband denies sexual relationship claim with her ex-husband
In the High Court murder trial of Abby Choi, her husband Chris Tam firmly denied allegations of a sexual relationship with Choi's ex-husband Alex Kwong. Tam also admitted borrowing HK$5 million for gambling, with Choi as guarantor, but said he never intended to repay.
The husband of late socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung firmly denied allegations on Wednesday that he had once wanted a sexual relationship with Choi's ex-husband, as the High Court heard the 17th day of the trial over Choi's murder and dismemberment.
Chris Tam Fung-chun was questioned by defense attorney Andrew Raffell about his past relationship with Alex Kwong Kong-chi. Raffell suggested that Tam and Kwong, who first met as students at Concordia International School, were more than just good friends in secondary school and that Tam had wanted a sexual relationship with Kwong. Tam stressed that he "totally disagrees" with the allegation.
Tam acknowledged that the two became close friends at school. After secondary school, Tam left for Australia to further his studies, but upon returning to Hong Kong, he said he continued to see Kwong and described their relationship as still friendly. Tam recounted meeting Choi through Kwong in 2013, when Choi and Kwong were still married. He said their friendship faded after Kwong disappeared and Tam began a relationship with Choi, adding that he and Kwong remained on good terms until February 24, 2023.
During cross-examination, Tam also admitted to borrowing HK$5 million for gambling in Macau, with Choi as his guarantor, but said he never intended to repay the debt at the time. He noted that Suncity Group had already gone bankrupt in 2021 and that there was no company left, telling the court that it would be stupid to pay back the money.
Tam said that after Suncity's collapse, debt collectors came to his door, but he refused to pay, believing the debt was void. He added that his father was eager to resolve the issue and sought to settle the debts. The Tam family experienced harassment from debt collectors, prompting Tam's father to seek help from Kwong Kau, Choi's former father-in-law, in resolving the issue.
According to Tam, Kwong Kau, a former police officer with links to both legitimate and criminal circles, offered his assistance free of charge. Tam insisted he was not ignoring the debt, but believed he was not obliged to pay it back. Ultimately, Tam's father paid off the debt, while Tam and Choi did not contribute to the repayment. Tam admitted in court that he had not repaid his father for settling the debt.
Regarding Choi's Manhattan Hill property, Tam testified that he was unaware at the time that Choi had mortgaged it twice or the reasons behind those decisions. He said he only discovered after Choi's death that the property still had an outstanding mortgage of HK$8 million to HK$9 million.