Beijing - The high-profile divorce battle between Chinese billionaire Zhao Bingxian and his wife Lu Juan has taken a new twist - brought about by their 9-year-old-son.
Dubbed as China's 'Warren Buffett', the 49-year-old chairman and CEO of China International Capital Zhao is being sued by his son, who is seeking 100,000 yuan (S$20,500) in child support and visitation twice a week, reported news site Want China Times. His estranged wife Lu said that her son had filed the lawsuit as his father had stopped financial support to the both of them for many years.
The court case which took place in Beijing behind closed doors on Sep 26 saw Lu Juan and her lawyer presenting her son's suit up to the judge. Zhao was not present and was represented by his lawyer. The trial was said to have lasted two hours, according to Want China Times, and will be heard again on Oct 10.
The paper reported that his ex-wife and her lawyer alleged in court that investment guru Zhao, who has a reported net worth of 10 billion yuan (S$2 billion), had refused to pay the previously agreed amount of child support fee and that he even asked the sum to be reduced to the average monthly wage in Beijing, which is less than 5,000 yuan (S$1,000).
Lu said that while her neighbours are sending their kids to expensive private schools, she might not be able to afford to send her son to a common school.
According to previous news reports, the couple, who wed in 1988, has been in a divorce litigation since 2010. Mother of two Lu Juan alleged that her tycoon husband was abusive physically and found fault in everything she does, said various online news sites.
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In a video interview with Le TV, Lu Juan said Zhao used various ways to threaten her such as sending his friends from the authorities to lock her up, sending gangsters from the triads to destroy her and even having the power to put her in a mental institution.
She was so frightened of Zhao that she had many sleepless nights and in the end, she changed the locks at her home, in case he ever came in unannounced.
She filed for divorce in 2010 and demanded 2 billion yuan (S$395 million) in alimony. This amount propelled the couple's divorce into the fifth most expensive divorces in China by media site China.Org even though the case is still not settled.
Since the start of the divorce proceedings, online reports said Zhao had frequently missed court hearings and postponed dates. Zhao is said to be contesting the divorce, reported China Want Times, as it could affect his company's value on the stock market.
The divorce case also took a sensational turn in 2012 when wife Lu Juan was put in jail for 37 days after Zhao accused her of company property theft, said news site Whats On Dalian.
The couple also have a daughter in her early twenties who is currently studying in a university in the United States.
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Click here to view the most expensive divorces in China.