Pansy Ho, daughter of Stanley Ho, becomes third family member to make court filing over estate of late ‘King of Gambling’
- Pansy Ho, Stanley Ho’s fifth child, is one of Hong Kong’s wealthiest women in her own right, with an estimated fortune of HK$32.9 billion
- Her caveat filed over her father’s estate comes after others filed by her sister and cousin
Pansy, the eldest child of Ho’s second wife, lodged a caveat on Friday at the Probate Registry in Hong Kong demanding her solicitors at Baker & McKenzie be notified before the sealing of her father’s grant, which includes court orders authorising his estate administrators.
She is the third family member to have lodged such a notice over the estate of Stanley Ho, who was counted as one of Asia’s richest men for decades, with a personal fortune estimated at HK$50 billion (US$6.4 billion) when he retired in 2018.
Hong Kong elite say final farewell to casino magnate Stanley Ho
Pansy’s was the first document filed in the matter since hundreds of Hong Kong’s political and business leaders joined Ho’s family members and friends in mourning the “King of Gambling” last month.
The tycoon died on May 26, at the age of 98, and was survived by 15 of the 17 children he had with four wives.
His passing had been announced by Pansy outside the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital in Happy Valley.
Her brief statement was believed to be a signal that the businesswoman, 23rd on Forbes’ list of Hong Kong’s 50 richest people this year, is stepping into the role as de facto spokeswoman of the sprawling clan.
The spotlight is also on Pansy, who turns 58 this month, to unite the interests of a clan whose infighting and legal wrangles had been fodder for Hong Kong’s gossip press for decades.
Her elder sister, Deborah Ho, the youngest child from her father’s first marriage, had filed the first caveat – just 11 days after his death.
Family rift deepens over tensions between daughters of late tycoon Stanley Ho
The second came a week later, from Michael Hotung, also known as Mak Shun-ming, who is the son of Stanley Ho’s late sister, businesswoman Winnie Ho Yuen-ki, and her cousin and secret lover, billionaire Eric Hotung, who died in October of 2017.
Born in 1962, Pansy is Stanley Ho’s first child with his second wife, Lucina Laam King-ying, and his fifth child overall, after the four children from his first marriage to Clementina De Mello Leitao, also known as Tininha.
Pansy’s personal fortune is estimated at HK$32.9 billion (US$4.25 billion), and in 2018, she paid HK$900 million for a mansion at Gough Hill Road on The Peak – the second-highest price on record for a residential property in Asia.
Nephew becomes second relative to take legal action over Stanley Ho estate
Her latest court filing has also identified a different mansion on the same road as her place of residence.
Pansy has major interests in two of the six casino licence-holders in Macau, which overtook Las Vegas as the world’s gambling capital a decade ago.
She is also the group executive chairman and managing director of Shun Tak Holdings, the listed property, transport, hospitality and investment conglomerate founded by her father.
