"I have more than 1,000 pairs of shoes from 43 years. I
have accumulated them, I never dispose of them," Chai, 67, was cited by
the Telegraph as saying.
Chai, who was crowned Miss Malaysia 1969, was giving
evidence last Friday to prove that the couple settled permanently in
Hertfordshire in 2009 and she was therefore entitled to file her divorce
petition in the country.
Khoo, 75, is contesting Britain's jurisdiction and has filed
his own divorce petition in their native Malaysia. Neither of them is a British
citizen. They have five adult children together.
Chai's claim is estimated at £200million and if successful,
is potentially Britain's largest divorce settlement.
It is believed that she filed her petition in London because
divorce settlements are based on an equal distribution of matrimonial assets
here.
She could be entitled to less under Malaysian law, which
divides matrimonial assets according to a spouse's contribution to their
acquisition, either directly via payments or indirectly by raising the children
and taking care of the home.
The couple lived a lavish lifestyle during their 43-year
marriage, with luxury staffed homes also in Kuala Lumpur, Canada and
Australia.
In Britain, they live in separate mansions at Rossway Park,
a sprawling 405ha estate in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire guarded by Gurkhas and
containing some llamas, alpacas and two man-made lakes costing £60,000
each.
According to the Telegraph, when challenged by Khoo's
lawyers that she also had an extensive collection of clothes, shoes and
handbags in her Kuala Lumpur home, Chai responded: "When you have houses
all over the world and you travel so much, (you have some at each house) so you
don't have to carry it all along with you."
Khoo is ranked 42nd on Malaysia's 50 richest list by US
magazine Forbes.
According to Forbes, his net worth as at February this year
is £190mil (RM987mil), though it is speculated his worth is closer to £500mil
(RM2.6bil).
Chai also told the court last Thursday that she had ordered
a padded toilet seat for her husband as he had backache from spending hours
reading and working while sitting on the toilet daily.
The Daily Mail reported that Chai's lawyer Richard Todd QC
said last Friday she lived on a "beautiful English estate” had a taste for
English TV shows and valued what was "quintessentially"
English.
It had been reported earlier that Chai had her 15-room
Hertfordshire home decked out in Laura Ashley furnishings because she
"loved England and everything English", and not just because her
husband owns a 40% stake in the clothing and interiors firm.
Chai filed for divorce in February last year, citing her
husband's unreasonable behaviour.
She has accused him of being "very controlling",
rationing her food and forbidding her from leaving their house without his
permission.
Chai said on Friday that she was not divorcing her husband
for money, but to get away from a "violent" relationship, admitting
that at one point she had locked herself in a back room, according to The
Telegraph.
"I just wanted to get away from an abusive, oppressive
relationship which I could not take because of my age," she said.
"When I was younger, I could recover. Now it is too
difficult to overcome it because of the violence and the fear he is putting on
me," she added.
She said he had told her: "You are nothing, you have
nothing, you have no bargaining powers."
Khoo's lawyers have strenuously denied these allegations on
his behalf, though the reclusive magnate has not made a personal appearance at
any of the proceedings in Britain.
He will give evidence via live video link when the hearing
resumes on Oct 13.
This high-stakes case has also attracted attention, and
criticism, for its spiralling costs.
The legal fees for both sides have reached an eye-watering
£2.3million in total, just for the preliminary proceedings so far.
Chai is represented by Ayesha Vardag, the capital's
"diva of divorce" who in 2010 got pre-nuptial agreements recognised
in England, allowing her client, German heiress Karin Radmacher, to protect her
£100mil (RM520million fortune from her former husband.
Khoo has retained Fiona Shackleton, another renowned divorce
lawyer who has advised the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Nigella Lawson and the
Prince of Wales during his divorce from the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
Credits: The Star
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