KUALA LUMPUR: Tycoon Tan Sri Khoo Kay Peng who married ex-beauty queen wife told the High Court today that Malaysia has always been his 'real home'.
"Kuala Lumpur has always been our home. Our actual home," Khoo said as he was testifying at the hearing that will decide the jurisdiction of his billion-ringgit divorce dispute with former Miss Malaysia 1969, Pauline Chai.
He added that he had never changed his place of residence and that it has always been in Malaysia.
During re-examination by his counsel Datuk Dr Cyrus Das, Khoo said his wife and children will always return to Malaysia on festive occasions.
He added that when he and Chai, 67, from Ipoh, got married in 1970; she had arrived at his house in Kuala Lumpur with just two bags of old clothes and nothing else.
The billionaire non-executive chairman of international fashion brand Laura Ashley said his family has never stayed together at the couple’s home in the Rossway Park estate in England.
"As a complete family we live in Kuala Lumpur, Not in United Kingdom, not in Australia," Khoo added.
To a question by Das on the reconciliation, Khoo said "too much water had flowed under the bridge".
"We have tried to reconcile many times in front of three churches but it was unsuccessful," he said.
He also described his wife as a very difficult lady.
"At that that time her temper was really bad. She yelled and shouted at very small things and did not want to talk to resolve issues," Khoo said.
The retail and hotel magnate also said that for a certain period of time Chai and their five adult children were not on good terms.
"For a certain period, they lived like enemies," he said adding that sometimes they did not talk to each other for months during that time.
The businessman also claimed that a daughter of theirs complained to him saying Chai had called her “fat and ugly”.
According to the 75-year-old billionaire, their five children aged between 28 and 43 are currently living in separate locations in Canada, Singapore and the UK.
On Oct 17, Chai had successfully argued for the case to heard in a British court as she claimed she had not been a Malaysian citizen for 30 years.
However, Khoo applied for the case to be heard in Malaysia saying that he is an official resident and they were married here.
On Feb 14 last year, Chai filed the divorce petition in a London court, on grounds of unreasonable behaviour.
She is seeking a 500 million pounds in (approximately RM2.75 billion) settlement.
However, Khoo filed his divorce petition at a High Court here, last December and argued for the case to be heard here.
The High Court verdict, on Dec 11 last year, ruled in Khoo's favour.
The hearing continues on Thursday before High Court judge Yeoh Wee Siam.