Three disciples of a Buddhist monk who died a multimillionaire are seeking to recover $3 million worth of shares from his estate.
The women said they gave $316,000 to their late master, Mok Kok-kuan, to invest in shares, starting in the late 1960s, the Court of First Instance heard yesterday. They claimed their shares were those found inside a Hang Seng Bank safe deposit box on May 15, 1991 - two days after Mok died of a heart attack.
The bundle of HSBC and Great Eagle shares - worth about $3 million - forms the subject of dispute between the three and the administrator of Mok's estate.
Mok founded a retreat, Tai Kok Lin Yuen, on Lantau Island in the late 1960s and among his disciples were Hu Moy, Lai So and Chui Ngan. Ms Hu, who is illiterate, gave Mok her savings, totalling $300,000, to invest for her, the court heard.
Barrister Nelson Miu, counsel for Ms Hu and the two other women, said Ms Lai gave Mok $6,000 in about 1975 so that he could invest it for her, while Ms Chui gave him about $10,000 in about 1985.
Ms Hu, who was entrusted with the key to the safe deposit box, opened it in the presence of one of Mok's younger brothers, Mok Yau-kwai, on May 15, 1991. Inside were a bundle of share certificates, a copy of the retreat's title deeds, three savings passbooks and the title deeds of a flat in Kwun Tong.
She handed over the passbooks, which represent savings of more than $1.4 million, and the flat's title deeds to Mok Yau-kwai but kept the bundle of shares and the copy of the retreat's title deeds.
Another of the monk's brothers, Mok Yau-tak, the administrator of the estate, disputes the women's claim for the shares, saying the monk never told him about investing for them and saying he would have been told had it been the case.
The hearing continues before Madam Justice Susan Kwan.