An eight-member High Court jury could not reach a verdict yesterday after nine-and-a-half hours of deliberation on charges against Peter Chan Chun-chuen of forgery and using a false document. Chan is accused of forging the will of late tycoon Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum.
Chan has pleaded not guilty to forging the will which he used unsuccessfully to claim Wang's HK$83 billion estate as the sole beneficiary. He also denied using a false document.
He used the will in a drawn-out probate battle with the Chinachem Charitable Foundation, which Wang established. Once Asia's richest woman, Wang died of cancer in 2007 at the age of 69. The jurors began their effort to decide Chan's fate at about 11.15am yesterday after the judge concluded the criminal trial, which started on May 24 and spanned 30 court days. They retired at about 8.40pm.
Mr Justice Andrew Macrae directed the jurors that only a unanimous verdict or a 7-1 or 6-2 majority vote would be accepted. He said they would need to return to the judge for further direction if they reached a 5-3 or split vote. The jury had to spend the night in accommodation provided by the judiciary and the judge told them not to talk about the case during their rest.
"Don't discuss the case, because the essence of the jury system is that you should reach the verdict when you are in the jury room, when the usher is outside," he said.
The jury was also not allowed to communicate with the outside world without permission from the judge.
