The Chan Hok-yan sex scandal was a highly publicized case in Hong Kong that started in December 2010, involving former Asian Games athlete Chan Hok-yan (陳學殷) and an anonymous wealthy individual referred to as "rich tycoon X" (富商X) by the media. [1] The scandal resulted in a court case where Chan was accused of blackmailing X for HK$3 million over a sex tape that was intended to be used as evidence against X. The identity of X is protected due to their wealth, and the judge and Hong Kong court have emphasized that it must remain confidential. [2] [3]
Prior to the scandal, Chan Hok-yan is mostly known in Hong Kong as a boat rower who participated at the Bangkok 1998 Asian Games at the age of 15. In 2010 she is 27 years old, married with a son. [1]
The rich tycoon is known to be a 72-year-old business man (born 1928). [1] Though some sources suggest he is 73 years of age, and that they are 46 years apart. [2] He is married. [1] [4]
X first met Chan Hok-yan in a Chinese restaurant in 2005, when she worked as a receptionist. Six months later, he arranged to have Chan Hok-yan work in his company as a shipping clerk. [1] Later, he gave her two checks for HK$70,000 and HK$100,000 when he learned she was pregnant and getting married in 2006. [1] They met three times in a motel in 2010, and had sex in the second meeting. [1]
On 12 May 2010 X received an unsigned letter accusing him of treating her like a prostitute. Chan threatened to publicize their sexual relationship with a videotape if X did not deposit HK$3 million into a bank account. [1] Thus began the court case where Chan is accused of blackmailing X. [5]
On 6 December 2010 X testified at the HK District court. X protected his identity behind a screen, spoke in Cantonese with a mainland China accent and appealed for leniency. [1] X said Chan Hok-yan was having financial difficulties and had no money to pay for school fees. Later in an interview, Chan admitted she never had a videotape. She just wanted to scare him. [1] During the case, she proclaimed loudly that she was "Not a chicken (prostitute)". [6]
On 14 January 2011 Chan has been sentenced to 15 month in imprisonment by the District Court. The judge said he did not think she was remorseful at all. [7]
The case has generated nonstop heated responses online urging netizens to guess who the rich tycoon is. [8] According to the lawyer, he warned the public that the name of X cannot be revealed, and compared it to "provoking the fight carries the same offence as participating in the fight". [8]
In the 1980s a similar blackmail case occurred involving a Mr X unknown male. Celebrity TVB staff member Ivan Ho (何守信) was eventually revealed to be the mystery person. [9] Another case occurred in August 2011 involving mainland female Ki Chun-yim (祈春艷) and another Mr X. [10]