Two granddaughters of Genting founder Lim Goh Tong head to court, claiming they were shortchanged in mum’s RM1.6bil estate

PETALING JAYA: Two granddaughters of the late Genting Group founder Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong sat quietly at the back of a Kuala Lumpur High Court public gallery on Monday, their presence barely noticed — a stark contrast to the enormous fortune at the centre of their legal battle.

Chan T’shiao Li, 48, and Kimberley Chan T’shiao Min, 45, were in court for the opening of a civil trial in which they are challenging the validity of their late mother Lim Siew Kim’s will, seeking what they believe to be a rightful portion of her RM1.6 billion estate.

Notably, the sisters sat several rows apart from their brother, Marcus Chan Jau Chwen, who was positioned in the same gallery but clearly on the opposite side of the courtroom divide — a physical reflection of the legal one.

At the heart of the case is Siew Kim’s will, dated April 28, 2022.

New Straits Times reported, T’shiao Li and Kimberley are asking the court to declare it null and void on the grounds that their mother lacked the mental capacity to execute such a document at the time, given her medical condition.

They are further arguing that she should be deemed to have died intestate — meaning without a legally valid will — which would trigger a different, potentially more equitable distribution of her assets.

The two sisters are named as plaintiffs, while their brother Marcus and three others — lawyer Malcolm Fernandez, one Chan Mei Yee, and lawyer Datuk Low Beng Choo — are listed as defendants.

The plaintiffs are also seeking the return of title documents to their mother’s immovable properties, which they claim are currently held by Fernandez and Mei Yee.

The disparity in how the estate was divided is what drove the sisters to court.

T’shiao Li was left RM900,000 in cash, while Kimberley received RM100,000 — a combined RM1 million out of an estate worth RM1.6 billion.

Marcus, by comparison, was bequeathed properties in Jalan Ampang, a shareholding in a company, the contents of all safe deposit boxes, and a 30 per cent stake in the residuary estate.

Another sibling, Cressa Chan T’shiao Yunn, received RM10 million, a property in Ampang Hilir, and a stake in a company.

Cressa’s daughter Jasmine — Siew Kim’s granddaughter — was allocated RM50,000 per month.

The lion’s share of the estate, however, was directed to an entity known as the Dikim Foundation, which stands to receive more than 70 per cent of the residuary estate.

The two sisters have flagged serious concerns about the foundation, describing its true purpose as unclear and raising questions about its legitimacy.

The contrast in legal firepower was also telling.

The two sisters were represented by a two-person team led by senior counsel Datuk Seri V. Sithambaram and Ruebankumar Asokan.

The four defendants, on the other hand, fielded a team of 16 lawyers, including veteran legal figures Tan Sri Cecil Abraham, Rishwant Singh, Ong Kheng Leong, Datuk K. Kirubakaran, S. Sivaneindran, and Robert Low.

At the opening hearing, Datuk Low Beng Choo — the fourth defendant — confirmed that Siew Kim had signed her final will on 28 April 2022.

However, her testimony was quickly challenged by the plaintiffs, who moved to have portions of both oral and documentary evidence struck out, arguing that statements attributed to the deceased constituted inadmissible hearsay.

High Court Judge Mahazan Mat Taib has scheduled a ruling on that application for March 2.

Siew Kim, the third child of Lim Goh Tong, passed away from cancer in July 2022 at the age of 73, leaving behind three daughters and a son.

 The Sun Malaysia