In 2017, a daring murder occurred in broad daylight right here in Singapore, shocking the general public. Mr Tan Nam Seng fatally stabbed his son-in-law, Mr Spencer Tuppani, on Boon Tat Street in front of a busy lunchtime crowd.
Tan had done so out of anger from Mr Tuppani cheating on his daughter and taking over his company. Now, two friends of Mr Tuppani are suing his next-of-kin for his assets, including a S$4.6 million property and a car.
Mr Tuppani’s first wife, his widow, and his widow’s sister are the co-administrators of his estate.
On 4 May, The Straits Times (ST) reported that the two friends of Mr Tuppani, who was murdered in the infamous Boon Tat Street stabbing, have sued the co-administrators of his estate.
Source: CNA on Facebook
Mr Tuppani’s estate consists of a Holland Village property worth S$4.6 million. Wala Wala Cafe Bar is the current tenant.
Mr Jason Er Kok Yong and Mr Lawrence Lim Soon Hwa stated that they each own a one-third share of the property.
Both men purportedly contributed S$535,200 in cash for the purchase of the estate. They claimed that Mr Tuppani, the sole registered owner, held both of their shares on trust for them.
However, the defendants – Ms Shyller Tan Cheng Cheng, Ms Tan San San, and Ms Keh Lay Hong – denied the pair’s accusations, alleging that Tuppani was the sole owner of the property.
To support their claims, the men added that Mr Tuppani requested they join him in investing in the property in late 2016.
All three men agreed to equally fund the purchase of the estate, and share the profits and losses.
Mr Er and Mr Lim also alleged that while the property was bought in Mr Tuppani’s name, they agreed that ownership would be shared equally between the three of them.
The estate’s original selling price was S$4.8 million. It was reduced to S$4.6 million to offset a loan that one of the sellers had received from Tuppani.
Mr Tuppani also used the rental income from the property to take out a S$3.68 million mortgage.
In May of 2017, Mr Tuppani’s lawyers prepared a trust deed stating that he held a two-thirds share in the property on trust for Mr Er and Mr Lim. Only Mr Lim signed this document prior to Mr Tuppani’s death.
Both men are using this evidence to prove Mr Tuppani’s intentions in acknowledging their beneficiary interests in the estate.
However, the defence noted that these documents only represent an oral agreement and that the context of the establishment of the trust deed has not been disclosed.
In addition, Mr Er is suing the victim’s family over a BMW M6 worth S$566,000. Mr Tuppani bought the vehicle and registered it in his name in Feb 2014.
There is purportedly an oral agreement proving that Mr Tuppani was holding the car on trust for him. Mr Er further stated that he reimbursed Mr Tuppani more than S$273,000 for the car.
Mr Er told the court that he made monthly instalment payments for several months in 2014 and 2015, and from Feb 2017 to Mar 2019. He also took care of the insurance and road tax bills.
The defendants said Mr Er made the instalment payments in exchange for using the vehicle. They also counter-claimed against Mr Er for S$1.1 million, which Mr Tuppani paid him from Aug 2014 to May 2017.
It is tragic enough to lose a loved one in such a violent manner at the hands of your own family. Unfortunately for the deceased, his family has now become tangled up in a legal battle for the assets he left behind.
Hopefully, all the individuals involved in this lawsuit will be able to reach a peaceful resolution.
We also hope that Mr Tuppani’s next-of-kin are recovering from their loss years after the incident.
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Featured image adapted from AUGUST MAN Magazine on Facebook and Google Maps.
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