Macau fugitive Lau describes ex-girlfriend as ‘greedy forever’

Joseph Lau (center)

Hong Kong tycoon Joseph Lau has made new comments about his former girlfriend during a video interview in which he described her as being “greedy forever.”

The comments come only days after Lau issued a public disclosure of their relationship published in full-page adverts in several newspapers.

In an interview with Apple Daily, the billionaire and major shareholder of Hong Kong listed company, Chinese Estates revealed that he was recovering from a kidney transplant, and that his former girlfriend Yvonne Lui Lai-kwan had been absent for most of his hospital stays and did not know about the transplant.

The fugitive billionaire, who was found guilty in 2014 of bribery and money laundering in Macau’s La Scala land deal, said his ex-lover had been making up different excuses to ask for money.

“She never got enough. […] Even [if] you give her HKD10 billion, she will still betray me for HKD1 … she is greedy forever,” said Lau.

Lau added that his former girlfriend, who is the mother of his two infant children, would ask him to pay her back the HKD2,000 to HKD3,000 tips she gave to waiters at high-end restaurants.

In the “announcement”, issued in several Hong Kong newspapers, Lau stated, “Prior to the breakup, I maintained and took care of Ms Lui and gave her lots of money, jewelry and other gifts, the total value of which exceeded HK$2 billion.”

Yet despite the indictments, Lui still hailed Lau as “the best father in the world.”

“I have heard your grievance. I am sorry. Please don’t be angry anymore,” she said. Lui also explained that it had been inconvenient to visit Lau during his hospital stays as he was already with “someone else.”

Lau and his business partner, Steven Lo Kit-shing, were found guilty of bribing the region’s ex-public works’ chief, Ao Man-long, with HKD20 million to secure the site of the La Scala luxury development.

Lau was sentenced to jail in absentia for over five years, but avoided the detention by remaining in Hong Kong. The HKSAR has yet to sign an extradition treaty with Macau. LV