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Funnyman Marcus Chin’s dirty linen is being washed in the public eye (YouTube screengrab).
Local radio DJ-actor Marcus Chin‘s divorce proceedings is getting messy.
The 57-year-old getai veteran, who’s been openly dating his 25 year-old assistant since last September, is being dragged through court by his estranged wife, Madam Murong Ying for a monthly maintenance of $5,000.
His Taiwan-born wife, who’s been married to him for 23 years, is asking for the monthly sum which she alleged was promised to her when the couple split in October 2008.
During a cross-examination in the Family Court on Monday, Mdm Murong said that when they separated, Chin wrote her a letter which said he would give her $5,000 a month. Although Chin did pay her the sum for eight months, several months after that he reduced the amount to $1,000.
In November last year, the court ordered him to give Mdm Murong $3,000 a month and another $600 for the HDB loan installment. Mdm Murong then asked for the sum to be increased to $5000, as what Chin had promised in his letter.
However, Chin now claims he’s not earning enough to pay her the amount. He also said in court that it was a personal promise and not a legal undertaking.
Chin’s marital woes hit the headlines last year when he began dating his 25-year-old personal assistant, Ms Eileen Cheah, with whom he recently had a baby girl.
Though he and his wife have no children, they’ve yet to be officially divorced.
The New Paper reports that Chin has been accused of “splurging” on a lavish $48,000 baby shower a seafood restaurant in September. Mdm Murong’s lawyer, Mr Sng Kheng Huat, also said Chin had two pieces of jewellery, which together worth nearly $1,600, charged to his credit card in May.
The lawyer added that Chin’s “mistress” also bought a camera for $795 in April, using a supplementary credit card that he gave her. She had also signed a bill for $559 in May at a local seafood restaurant.
Meanwhile, Chin objected to the term “mistress” and requested that the court refer to Ms Cheah, as his girlfriend instead.
In his defence, Chin argued that while the dinner was paid for by his sister, he purchased the jewellery for his girlfriend and her mother.
He added that the camera was bought to document their child’s growth and it was more of a necessity than extravagance. On the $559 dinner, Chin said that it was a treat for both his and Ms Cheah’s family to show filial piety.
While Chin claimed that he earns around $9000 a month, he added that Mdm Murong could not depend on him for the rest of her life.
“My job is not an iron rice bowl,” he said. “If something happens to me and I lose my job, can she rely on me for the rest of her life?
“If she finds an easy part-time job, she can still earn $1,000 or so.”
It was also revealed in court that Mdm Murong had asked him to give her $1 million for her to return to live in Taiwan.
When pressed by Mr Sng on the issue, Chin replied, “She married me and got a Singapore citizenship. So can we also say, because of that, she earned a million dollars already?”
After Mr Sng suggested that he is bullying Mdm Murong because she is an easy target, Chin laughed bitterly and said, “That is a joke because in showbiz, everybody knows that I was famous for being scared of my wife.”
Both Chin and Mdm Murong looked solemn throughout the proceedings and the case has been adjourned to January.
Outside the courtroom, Mdm Murong told TNP, “I’m still his friend and he’s still my husband. He’s not my enemy. It’s hard for me to think that his career is being ruined because of our broken marriage.”
On the other hand, Chin was reluctant to speak and just said that he was feeling “normal”.
In earlier court sessions in October, he denied that Ms Cheah was a third party in his marriage.
He said, “I didn’t want the rest of my life to be in sadness…I had lost all feelings for (my wife) in the last 10 years…Every time she was fierce towards me, my love for her (was) reduced.”
Local radio DJ-actor Marcus Chin‘s divorce proceedings is getting messy.
The 57-year-old getai veteran, who’s been openly dating his 25 year-old assistant since last September, is being dragged through court by his estranged wife, Madam Murong Ying for a monthly maintenance of $5,000.
His Taiwan-born wife, who’s been married to him for 23 years, is asking for the monthly sum which she alleged was promised to her when the couple split in October 2008.
During a cross-examination in the Family Court on Monday, Mdm Murong said that when they separated, Chin wrote her a letter which said he would give her $5,000 a month. Although Chin did pay her the sum for eight months, several months after that he reduced the amount to $1,000.
In November last year, the court ordered him to give Mdm Murong $3,000 a month and another $600 for the HDB loan installment. Mdm Murong then asked for the sum to be increased to $5000, as what Chin had promised in his letter.
However, Chin now claims he’s not earning enough to pay her the amount. He also said in court that it was a personal promise and not a legal undertaking.
Chin’s marital woes hit the headlines last year when he began dating his 25-year-old personal assistant, Ms Eileen Cheah, with whom he recently had a baby girl.
Though he and his wife have no children, they’ve yet to be officially divorced.
The New Paper reports that Chin has been accused of “splurging” on a lavish $48,000 baby shower a seafood restaurant in September. Mdm Murong’s lawyer, Mr Sng Kheng Huat, also said Chin had two pieces of jewellery, which together worth nearly $1,600, charged to his credit card in May.
The lawyer added that Chin’s “mistress” also bought a camera for $795 in April, using a supplementary credit card that he gave her. She had also signed a bill for $559 in May at a local seafood restaurant.
Meanwhile, Chin objected to the term “mistress” and requested that the court refer to Ms Cheah, as his girlfriend instead.
In his defence, Chin argued that while the dinner was paid for by his sister, he purchased the jewellery for his girlfriend and her mother.
He added that the camera was bought to document their child’s growth and it was more of a necessity than extravagance. On the $559 dinner, Chin said that it was a treat for both his and Ms Cheah’s family to show filial piety.
While Chin claimed that he earns around $9000 a month, he added that Mdm Murong could not depend on him for the rest of her life.
“My job is not an iron rice bowl,” he said. “If something happens to me and I lose my job, can she rely on me for the rest of her life?
“If she finds an easy part-time job, she can still earn $1,000 or so.”
It was also revealed in court that Mdm Murong had asked him to give her $1 million for her to return to live in Taiwan.
When pressed by Mr Sng on the issue, Chin replied, “She married me and got a Singapore citizenship. So can we also say, because of that, she earned a million dollars already?”
After Mr Sng suggested that he is bullying Mdm Murong because she is an easy target, Chin laughed bitterly and said, “That is a joke because in showbiz, everybody knows that I was famous for being scared of my wife.”
Both Chin and Mdm Murong looked solemn throughout the proceedings and the case has been adjourned to January.
Outside the courtroom, Mdm Murong told TNP, “I’m still his friend and he’s still my husband. He’s not my enemy. It’s hard for me to think that his career is being ruined because of our broken marriage.”
On the other hand, Chin was reluctant to speak and just said that he was feeling “normal”.
In earlier court sessions in October, he denied that Ms Cheah was a third party in his marriage.
He said, “I didn’t want the rest of my life to be in sadness…I had lost all feelings for (my wife) in the last 10 years…Every time she was fierce towards me, my love for her (was) reduced.”
