Macau (MNA) – Hong Kong businesswoman, Winnie Ho Yuen-ki, the sister of casino tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun, had passed away due to illness at the age of 95 in June.
The news was revealed this week by her spokesperson, Donna Yau, who confirmed to the the South China Morning Post that Mrs Ho had passed away at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital.
Lionel Alves, a lawyer in Macau who had represented Winnie Ho in the 2000’s, expressed his sadness on the news. “I am very sad. She was a very good lady, she played her role very well. Macau is poorer without her.”
Winnie Ho lived a complicated life, which included high-profile legal disputes with her family members.
Ho moved from the United States to Macau in 1977 to work for Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM), which was co-founded by Stanley Ho.
The firm was granted a monopoly in the city until 2000, when the government decided to diversify the sector.
However, the early 2000’s marked a change of her relationship with her brother as they fought a high-profile battle over the control of STDM.
Winnie Ho was dismissed from her position as executive director in 2001.
Stanley Ho had ousted his sister completely from the STDM board in 2005, telling board members, “I no longer regard her as a sister.”
The next year, Mrs Ho filed a lawsuit to retrieve HK$3 billion (US$382 million) in STDM dividends owed to her, and would continue to file around 30 lawsuits against her brother for various reasons, namely the money owed, defamation and share disputes.
Alves had refused to comment on her conflict with her family, citing it as a ‘complicated internal affair.’
After the high-profile dispute, Winnie Ho claimed to have received threats in 2004, which had caused her first solicitor to resign.
STDM would rebrand as Sociedade de Jogos de Macau S.A. (SJM) in 2008, and control would be given to Stanley Ho’s daughter, Daisy Ho.
Stanley Ho retired as SJM Holdings chairman on June 12.
Winnie Ho was also pulled into a legal dispute when billionaire Eric Hotung in 2011, who sued her and their son Michael Hotung over HK$2 million, which he eventually failed to claim.
(image credit: http://www.zonglanxinwen.com)
