Newspaper vendor Chin Kim Yon has sued his son Kheng Hai whom he claims was unfilial to get back a Hillview Avenue condominium worth $1.2 million, reported The Straits Times.
In 2000, the 76-year old vendor paid $700,000 for the unit, which was registered in the names of his son and daughter from a second marriage in 1963.
Following the death of his daughter Yun Qin in 2014, Chin applied to administer the estate. He transferred his daughter’s half-share of the apartment to himself and sued his 48-year old son for the remaining half. He claimed that he never intended to hand over the apartment to his children and that they were merely holding the property on trust for him.
On the first day of trial yesterday, Chin testified that he was taking legal action because Kheng Hai had been unfilial to him. He recalled an incident in 2013 where his son tried to hit him with a bottle out of anger during a visit to his home in Johor Bahru.
The Singapore permanent resident said he wants to regularise ownership of the apartment to prepare for his estate’s administration after his death.
Chin has three other children by his first wife, whom he married in 1958.
Represented by lawyer Winston Quek, Chin said he purchased the condominium his two children were renting out of fatherly love, after they told him they could no longer afford the rent. However, he made it clear to them that the unit belonged to him. Chin said he felt cheated when his children mortgaged the apartment for $400,000 but did not use the proceeds to acquire another property as promised.
But Kheng Hai denies that they were unable to pay the rent. He claimed that his father agreed to purchase the unit after they informed him that the landlord was selling it. He also stated his father told them he was buying it for them. He contends that they used the proceeds of the loan to purchase a HDB flat in 2013 in the joint names of his sister and father.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Singapore Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
