Sun Hung Kai's eldest son was kidnapped for a record ransom, then removed as chairman by his mother, who controlled the family's shares

Kwok Tak-seng founded Sun Hung Kai Properties. After his death in 1990 his sons Walter, Thomas and Raymond ran it. On 30 September 1997 the gangster Cheung Tze-keung kidnapped Walter and released him after seven days; Cheung later said the ransom was about HK$600 million^†. Walter kept the titles of chairman and chief executive while his brothers ran daily operations. The Standard and Sing Tao reported that his former girlfriend Ida Tong's influence over decisions caused friction with his brothers^†. On 18 February 2008 the company announced that he was taking leave. On 27 May 2008 it told the stock exchange that his mother, Kwong Siu-hing, 79, was now chairman and that Walter had become a non-executive director. The filing showed her interested in 41.53% of the company and Walter in 42.38%. In 2012 Thomas and Raymond were arrested on suspicion of bribery with Rafael Hui, formerly Hong Kong's second-ranking official. Thomas Kwok and Hui were convicted and jailed; Raymond was acquitted. Walter left the board in 2014, founded Empire Group, and sued his brothers to undo the agreement dividing the fortune, testifying that he had received US property worth less than their shares^†. He died on 20 October 2018, aged 68, two months after a stroke. His mother remained controlling shareholder.