Ngoc Thuy turns down $2 mln from ex-husband

Former Vietnamese top model Ngoc Thuy has turned down a US$ 2 million worth of real estate from her ex-husband as a settlement to their millions of dollar property dispute, Tien Phong Newspaper reported last Wednesday.
In October, Vietnamese-American millionaire Nguyen Duc An filed a lawsuit against Ngoc Thuy in Ho Chi Minh for allegedly grabbing his US$ 11 million assets he bought in Vietnam in her name.

Ngoc Thuy and Duc An when they were still married

According to Tien Phong, at a mediation session held on December 6 by a local court in San Jose, California (US), the model and her lawyer at first agreed to An’s offer that she could keep 5 upscale apartments in Avalon Building in downtown Ho Chi Minh.
For the rest of the disputed properties including other luxurious estates, cars, securities, and cash worth VND228 billion (US$10.9 million), Thuy had to set up a trust fund for their two daughters, Nguyen Angelina Dior and Nguyen Valentina Dior, four and three.
The five apartments are estimated to be worth as much as US$ 2 million.
An said he would withdraw his case currently being processed by the Ho Chi Minh City Court if Thuy accepted this proposal. However, on December 7, Thuy changed her mind and turned down her ex-husband’s offer.
Explaining why the properties were not in his name, An once told local media that he did not have Vietnamese citizenship in 2007 after the couple tied the knot and was not allowed to buy real estate in his own name; therefore, he had them registered in Thuy’s name.
The properties include nice upscale apartments on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street, District 1, 14 pieces of lands and villas in Phan Thiet, a villa in Binh Thanh district, 3 pieces of lands in Vung Tau, 7 cars and cash.
“Though I had asked Thuy to transfer the properties to my company after the divorce, she not only refused to do it but also transferred their ownership to her family members,” he claimed.
Regarding the case, local law practitioners said Thuy was having extra-advantage as it was found out earlier the model never registered for a marriage license with An in Vietnam.
This means the couple’s marriage, which was registered in California (US) in 2006, is not recognized by local law, thus the case will be treated as a common property dispute between two civilians without any marital element involved, which most of the time results in a property division for both of the parties.
As of present, Thuy would have more advantage than her husband in court because all of the disputed properties are in her name.
Source: Tuoitrenews.vn

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