Iking’s ex-husband denies his parents vowed to destroy her career

KUALA LUMPUR: Former husband of Daphne Iking denied telling the TV presenter that his parents had "vowed" to destroy her career after finding out about her affair and that he had no say in the matter.

Businessman Ryan Chong Yiing Yih, 33, also denied telling Iking that his parents had engaged “one of the most expensive and well-connected criminal lawyers in Kuala Lumpur who was a former public prosecutor and with good connections to ensure that Iking and the other person involved were punished".

Chong, who was being cross-examined by lawyer Datuk Jagjit Singh at a magistrate's court here Friday, was responding to allegations stated in a divorce petition filed by Iking last year.

Chong initiated a private summons against corporate figure Darren Choy Khin Ming, 45, for seducing Iking, 33, with the intention of having sexual intercourse with her at Plaza Condominium, Jalan Wan Kadir, Taman Tun Dr Ismail in Kuala Lumpur, between July 2007 and September 2008.

Iking and Chong married on Jan 27, 2007 in Bali, Indonesia.

They divorced last year.

Chong further denied that the Bali wedding was a cheap publicity stunt for fame using Iking's popularity.

He also denied that he gave exclusive rights to UK-based Hello! magazine for the wedding to be featured in its first Malaysian edition published on March 2007.

He maintained that he agreed to the feature as Iking had earlier arranged it.

Chong described the wedding as a "private affair attended by only 80 friends", to which Jagjit lashed back: "You gave the rights to Hello! and you say it was a private affair?"

"It was our wedding, what can I say?," Chong said.

Chong denied an allegation that when he was courting Iking in September 2006, he had told her that he stood to inherit RM8mil from his grandfather when the latter died.

He said that he did not inherit anything when his grandfather passed away in August 2008.

He also disagreed with Jagjit's suggestion that he did not receive the inheritance because his grandfather had known about his adulterous relationship with a guest-relations officer named Serena, whom he met in a karaoke club in Shanghai in June 2007.

Earlier, Jagjit informed the court that the defendant had suggested an out-of-court settlement to be discussed this weekend.

Lawyers Wong Kian Kheong and Chris Lim represented Chong, while Jagjit and Akbardin Abdul Kader represented Choy.

Hearing before magistrate Engku Ahmad Rashdi Engku Abdillah continues on Monday.