Luxury watch trades by the ex-husband of late socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung ran through her account, a watch shop employee testified Thursday, describing him as a friendly client.
The testimony was heard on the 21st day of the trial over the February 2023 killing and dismemberment of the 28-year-old woman.
In his testimony, employee Chan Leung-hang confirmed a two-way watch trading relationship between Alex Kwong Kong-chi and the shop. Under cross-examination, he agreed that the trading records with Alex Kwong were incomplete, adding that he had passed the police all transaction invoices the shop had.
Regarding a missing invoice for a HK$6 million payment to Choi in late October 2021, Chan explained the transaction was made under Kwong’s instruction after he sold a watch to the shop.
He also confirmed the shop ran VIP accounts, with Choi paying for the watches Kwong chose.
Chan said he initially did not know Choi and only learned that she was Kwong's ex-wife later on, adding the shop had never received inquiries from her. As Kwong frequently sold luxury watches to the shop, Chan believed he had other suppliers but did not know their source.
Chan recalled Kwong as a friendly customer and a good source of timepieces. He said he invited Kwong to his home to develop a good relationship, and that they also spoke on the phone.
Describing Kwong as a savvy buyer, Chan said he would try to secure the best price for Kwong to win the deal. For instance, knocking HK$1,000 to HK$2,000 off a watch worth HK$100,000, or HK$8,000 to HK$100,000 off one worth over HK$1 million.
The court also heard that he obtained Cartier jewelry discounts through Kwong and Choi several times between 2020 and 2022, with all communication going through Kwong.
Chan said he wrote a paycheck to help Kwong pay about six months' management fees for the Kadoorie Hill property between late 2020 and early 2021, after Kwong called him saying it was "very urgent." Considering Kwong still had more than HK$100,000 credit in the shop account, Chan used the balance to cover the fees.
He said Kwong Kau, Alex's father, arrived at the shop to collect the check but when he called Alex to verify the payment, Kwong Kau grabbed the phone from him.
Alex Kwong, Anthony Kwong and Kwong Kau, are jointly charged with Choi’s murder. All three have pleaded not guilty. Alex and Anthony Kwong have pleaded guilty to a charge of preventing the lawful burial of a body, while Kwong Kau has denied the charge.
