Peter Chan: I am famous for being unpopular - I will make use of that
Peter Chan, the late Chinachem billionaire's fung shui guru, speaks to the Post from behind bars
Fung shui guru turned Christian Peter Chan Chun-chuen was on the point of screaming he was innocent as the judge sent him to jail for 12 years last month.
But Chan says he drew on the strength of his new-found faith and held his tongue.
"As I was about to stand up and scream my innocence out loud, I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to calm down. I struggled in my heart and eventually kept quiet," said Chan, fielding questions from the through one of his friends who visited him in prison last week.
The day before the July 5 sentencing, Chan had looked shocked and turned red in the face after a jury declared he was guilty of forgery and using a false instrument.
Chan, 53, who went by the name Tony before his religious conversion, had contended he was the lover of late billionaire Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum, head of property developer Chinachem Group and Asia's richest woman, and that she had left him her entire HK$83 billion estate.
He is appealing against both the conviction and sentence. Through his friend, he declined to predict his chances of winning, but said he would preach the word of God once he was free.
"I have become widely known as one of the most unpopular public figures, so I should make use of my special identity to spread the gospel," he was quoted as saying. "I believe many people will be interested in listening to me, which will help me evangelise."
