Will of Ella Koon's grandmother declared invalid by High Court

The will of Lo Siu-fung, grandmother of singer Ella Koon Yun-na, was ruled invalid by High Court Judge Wilson Chan Ka-shun on Tuesday following a 19-day trial.

Koon's late grandmother, Lo, had previously bequeathed over HK$40 million in assets to Koon's brother, Jamis Koon, before later drafting a will that left her entire estate to her godson Fung Ming-ip, who is also a friend of Ella Koon's mother Mak Ngan Lai. 

However, Koon's three aunts - Mak Ngun-tai, Mak Lai-ping and Mak Mei-wa - previously questioned the legitimacy of the arrangement, alleging that Fung colluded with Mak Ngan-lai to seize Lo's lifelong savings, prompting them to file a lawsuit in the High Court to overturn the will.

Judge Chan stated that Lo had not executed a valid will at the time of her passing, therefore ruling in favour of Koon's aunts.

In September 2011, two years before the will was drafted, Lo was diagnosed with severe cognitive impairment. The plaintiffs argued that, at the time of her death, Lo's bank account only had HK$360,000 remaining and questioned her mental state when she made the will. 

Chan issued a written judgment, stating that there were doubts regarding Lo's capacity to execute the will, and the lawyer had failed to ensure that Lo was not under undue influence at the time.

As a result, the will naming Fung Ming-ip as the sole beneficiary was declared invalid.