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Chinese tycoon Chen Hongtian has Hong Kong property that includes Peak house seized by lenders

  • The 9,212 sq ft property at 15 Gough Hill Road was seized this month by receivers appointed by Bank of East Asia
  • Opus Hong Kong apartment is taken over by receivers on behalf of Bank of Communications

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The house at 15 Gough Hill Road on Thursday. The property was bought for a record HK$2.1 billion in 2016, and was mortgaged twice with BEA in the first half of 2019. Photo: May Tse

Chen Hongtian, a low-profile mainland Chinese tycoon, who was the talk of the town in Hong Kong for purchasing a house on The Peak for a record price almost seven years ago, has had at least three of his assets worth a total of about HK$7 billion (US$891.7 million) at time of purchase seized by lenders.

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The house, a 9,212 sq ft property at 15 Gough Hill Road, was seized this month by receivers appointed by Bank of East Asia (BEA), according to government records. Chen bought it through Lambda Industrial – a firm he owns with two others, one of whom is believed to be his wife – for a record HK$2.1 billion in 2016. It was mortgaged twice with BEA in the first half of 2019.

BEA appointed Deloitte China partners Derek Lai Kar-yan and Ivan Chan Man-hoi as receivers and managers earlier this month, according to sources. In a receivership, the receiver will act primarily in the interest of the creditor who appoints them. This often results in the company being liquidated or dissolved, and may mean that other creditors are not repaid. “We are looking for a buyer for the Gough Hill Road property,” Lai said.

Lambda Industrial was renamed Chateau 15 Investments. Other directors of the company are Chen Yao Li Ni and Vincent Chen Peng Yu. Yao Li Ni is Chen’s wife, according to Dow Jones’ risk and compliance database.

A file photo of Chen Hongtian from November 2016. Chen had a fortune of 30 billion yuan, according to the Hurun Report 2022. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
A file photo of Chen Hongtian from November 2016. Chen had a fortune of 30 billion yuan, according to the Hurun Report 2022. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
In an interview with the Post in June 2016, Chen said he bought 15 Gough Hill Road because an apartment he bought in September 2015 for HK$387 million in Opus Hong Kong in eastern Mid-Levels was “too tiny”. The fifth-floor luxury apartment has also been taken over by receivers, said Deloitte’s Lai.
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Lai and Chan were appointed as receivers of the Opus Hong Kong property, which Chen bought with Yao Li Ni, by Bank of Communications in February this year. The apartment was mortgaged to the bank in August 2019. The receivers are in the process of reviewing the Opus apartment, Lai said.

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