Read More
The former brother-in-law of slain socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung testified on Tuesday that Choi orchestrated a plan to force her personal chauffeur to resign in order to avoid paying statutory severance, later asking him to step in temporarily to drive her children to school.
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Anthony Kwong Kong-kit took the stand in the High Court on the 34th day of the high-profile trial concerning the February 2023 murder and dismemberment of the 28-year-old model.
Kwong said Choi decided to dismiss the chauffeur after a series of incidents, including two occasions when the driver stole money and a complaint from staff at Kadoorie Hill that he swore at staff and residents.
He noted that while Choi was relatively unconcerned by the petty theft, she was acutely sensitive to anything that could harm her public image—particularly after debt collectors contacted his mother, Jenny Li Sui-heung, in pursuit of the driver.
To avoid paying severance, Choi and her family took advantage of her planned month-long trip to France in December 2022, telling the driver he would have to take unpaid leave while she was away. The plan worked: the driver resigned in mid-October and left the following month.
Kwong said Choi then requested that he fill the vacancy temporarily while she searched for a permanent replacement. With little other work scheduled between November and January 2023, Kwong agreed to serve as her driver through late February, ahead of his birthday in March.
He said he got up at 6am each day to drive Choi’s eldest son from Kadoorie Hill to school in Tuen Mun. In the afternoons, he picked up her youngest daughter from Malvern College Hong Kong in Pak Shek Kok, and he was also available on Saturdays to take the children to extracurricular activities.
Kwong also addressed escalating domestic discord, testifying that relations soured significantly following a heated confrontation in mid-2022 between his father, Kwong Kau, and Choi over a luxury apartment in Kadoorie Hill. Following the dispute, Choi barred the children from contacting their grandfather, leading to what Kwong described as a severe deterioration in their relationship.
Describing his own bond with Choi, Kwong claimed he held a "rather special presence" in her life and viewed her as a "good friend." Having assisted with household management since the birth of her children, Kwong testified that when conflicts arose, Choi typically vented frustration at his mother and her ex-husband, Alex Kwong Kong-chi, adding that Choi "did not have the right to criticize" him.
Anthony Kwong, Alex Kwong, and their father, Kwong Kau, are jointly charged with Choi’s murder.
Both Kwong brothers pleaded guilty before the trial commenced in late September to preventing the lawful burial of a body. Kwong Kau entered a guilty plea to the same charge midway through the proceedings.
