宗馥莉“首战”输了？并没有！十个关键问题读懂宗氏子女18亿美元“信托纠纷案”

Core Viewpoint - The ongoing legal dispute over an $18 billion inheritance between the "Zong Family Siblings" and Zong Fuli, daughter of the current chairman of Wahaha, has seen new developments following a ruling from the Hong Kong High Court, which primarily serves as a procedural assistance rather than a substantive judgment on the trust issues involved [1]. Group 1: Court Ruling and Trust Establishment - The Hong Kong High Court issued a property preservation order, which does not determine the substantive issues of trust rights and responsibilities, leaving those matters to be resolved in mainland courts [2][3]. - The court's ruling indicates that the trust intended by Zong Qinghou has not been established, as Zong Fuli has not set up the offshore trusts despite a signed agreement [4]. Group 2: Financial Implications and Agreements - Zong Qinghou planned to establish a trust with an initial scale of $2.1 billion, allocating $700 million to each sibling, with interest distributions based on fixed income investments [6]. - If the trust is established, each sibling could potentially receive approximately 25 million RMB annually, based on a 5% interest rate [7]. Group 3: Legal Proceedings and Claims - The Zong Family Siblings filed a lawsuit in Hangzhou, seeking confirmation of their beneficial rights to the assets in the Hong Kong HSBC account and demanding accountability from Zong Fuli regarding the trust assets [8][9][10][11]. - The siblings also claim damages for unauthorized asset transfers, amounting to approximately $1.085 million [12]. Group 4: Trust Beneficiaries and Asset Management - Zong Fuli has proposed including her own children as beneficiaries in the trust agreement, indicating a potential conflict of interest [13]. - Despite signing an agreement with the siblings, Zong Fuli continued to withdraw funds from the HSBC account, which has raised concerns about asset management and transparency [14]. Group 5: Timeline of Key Events - Key events include Zong Qinghou's handwritten instructions for the trust in January 2024, the signing of wills and agreements in February 2024, and the subsequent legal actions taken by the siblings later that year [17]. Group 6: Dispute Focus Areas - The main points of contention include the interpretation and execution of the agreements, unauthorized withdrawals from the HSBC account, and the delay in establishing the offshore trust [18].