The High Court has rejected an application by the son of late Genting heiress Lim Siew Kim to remove two interim administrators overseeing her RM1.6 billion estate, bringing an end to his attempt to have them dismissed over alleged misconduct.
Judge Datuk Mahazan Mat Taib dismissed Marcus Chan Jau Chwen’s application against lawyer Datuk S. Satharuban and Khoo Siew Kiat, ordering him to pay RM30,000 in costs to the two administrators.
The court also lifted an interim injunction that had prevented Satharuban and Khoo from carrying out their duties, allowing them to resume managing the estate under court supervision.
In her ruling, Mahazan said Marcus had failed to provide sufficient evidence of misconduct, repeated breaches of duty, disqualifying conflicts of interest or other serious circumstances that would justify removing the administrators.
She stressed, however, that the dismissal did not automatically validate every expenditure or transaction undertaken by the administrators.
Their responsibilities to account for estate assets, comply with the terms of their appointment and submit their costs and remuneration for examination remained in place, she said.
On allegations that the administrators had interfered in companies linked to the estate, Mahazan ruled that the businesses’ liabilities could not automatically be treated as debts of the estate simply because Siew Kim held shares in them.
However, she said the administrators were still responsible for protecting the estate’s interests, including obtaining relevant information and taking lawful steps to safeguard the value of its shareholdings.
The judge found insufficient evidence to establish unlawful interference in the companies’ operations or misuse of estate funds serious enough to warrant the administrators’ removal.
She also clarified that the ruling did not determine the validity of Siew Kim’s will or the beneficiaries’ respective entitlements.
Siew Kim, who died of cancer in July 2022 at the age of 73, left behind three daughters and a son. Her estate has been under the administration of interim administrators amid a family dispute over the validity of her will.
On November 27, 2023, the High Court appointed Satharuban Sivasubramaniam and Khoo as administrators pendente lite to oversee the estate.
Their appointment followed a probate suit filed by two of Siew Kim’s daughters, Chan T’shiao Li and Kimberly Chan T’shiao Miin, on January 19, 2023, challenging a will reportedly signed on April 28, 2022.
Marcus, Siew Kim’s only son and a 30 per cent beneficiary of the residuary estate, sought to have both administrators removed over alleged misconduct and failure to comply with the court order governing their appointment.
Among his complaints were claims that payments to solicitors and other parties had been made through individual bank accounts instead of consolidated trust accounts, allegedly resulting in the wrongful depletion of estate funds.
He also accused the administrators of interfering in the management of companies connected to the estate.
Marcus further claimed that the administrators had nearly caused the estate to pay RM4.73 million in assessments on behalf of Prominview Sdn Bhd, although the liability allegedly belonged to a joint-venture partner.
Other complaints involved the lodging of private caveats and the commissioning of property valuations, which he argued were outside the administrators’ authority as they had no power to distribute or dispose of estate assets.
On January 23, 2026, Marcus secured an interim injunction preventing the administrators from acting on behalf of the estate while his removal application was pending.
