Platonic relationship is always the most confusing of them all...
PROMINENT paraplegic athlete William Tan Kian Meng claimed that a woman who is suing him for some $400,000 had given him the money, not lent it to him, as they had been in an 'intimate relationship'.
Details about Dr Tan's relationship with Stephanie Chee Jok Heng, 51, emerged in court when his lawyer cross-examined the woman on the first day of the hearing into her lawsuit.
They had even gone on trysts to hotels, claimed Dr Tan. But Chee, a divorcee with three daughters, flatly denied allegations that they had been lovers and insisted that the two had merely had a 'Christian platonic kind of relationship'.
In her lawsuit, Chee, a former management consultant, is seeking the return of $259,818.24 that she had extended to Dr Tan between 1999 and 2007. These included payments for his car insurance, road tax, life insurance premiums; expenses on his supplementary credit card; and expenses incurred in their business ventures.
Dr Tan, 53, who is single, does not dispute receiving the money, but he claims that many of the payments were 'love gifts' to him. He also contends that Chee had waived her right to the money when she turned down his previous offers to pay her back.
Chee is seeking another $149,858.19 from Dr Tan, claiming he had promised to indemnify her for losses she had made from the sale of an apartment at the One Tree Lodge condominium.
From Straits Times, "Money given, not loaned".
Day two of the court case involving well-known paraplegic Dr William Tan saw him insisting that the sums of money given to him by Dr Stephanie Chee were "love gifts" when they were still together.
In the High Court on Tuesday, Dr Tan said he and Dr Chee were in a romantic relationship between 2000 and 2006.
Dr Chee is suing Dr Tan for S$259,800 in financial help given to him between 1999 and 2005.
She is also suing for another S$149,800 for losses suffered from the sale of a property linked to Dr Tan, which she had held in trust and as a nominee for Dr Tan.
In turn, Dr Tan said Dr Chee owes him S$279,900 - money he had lent her to buy a property.
From Channel NewsAsia, "Paraplegic Dr Tan says money given to him were "love gifts"".
