Moh Tai Siang, the third son of the founder of Swee Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant, sued his two brothers for his share of the family home, which was sold for SGD16 million in 2015, reported The Straits Times.
Tai Siang transferred his one-quarter share in the house to brothers Tai Tong and Tai Suan, also known as Freddy and Royston respectively, in 1985 after he ran into financial problems.
In suing for his SGD4 million share of the sales proceeds, Tai Siang claimed that his brothers were merely holding his share in the Branksome Road house on trust for him.
He alleged that the transfer was made at the behest of his eldest brother Tai Sing and mother, who told him that he could get his share back once the house is sold or when he is old.
Freddy and Royston, however, both denied the allegations. According to them, they acquired Tai Siang’s stake for S$200,000, as shown in a legal document.
Tai Siang’s lawyer argued that there was no evidence showing that Tai Siang was actually paid S$200,000.
Freddy’s lawyer explained that Tai Siang, who incurred numerous debts during his younger days, offered to give up his stake in the property for urgent financial assistance.
In fact, he declared that he owns no assets whatsoever when he was made bankrupt in 1988, noted Royston’s lawyer.
When asked during cross-examination why he did not ask his mother to retrieve his share for him when she was still alive, Tai Siang, through a Mandarin interpreter, said: “My mother was ill, if the brothers are arguing, she will definitely be unhappy.”
Senior Content Specialist Christopher Chitty edited this story
