THE brother embroiled in a family dispute before the High Court has portrayed himself as a white knight.
Mr Ong Boon Chuan said the family's firm, Tong Guan Food Products, was in 'big trouble' and his mother wanted him to turn it around.
She gave him her shares so that he could help his brothers who were managing the company that owns the Tong Garden brand of nuts and snacks.
Mr Ong, 54, a property developer, also told the court on Friday that he had good connections with banks, as the company was owing $8 to 9 million.
Thanks to him, this was halved by 2005, he said.
Younger sister Ong Siew Lay, 43, claims that the shares that he got from the mother were hers and is suing him for $2 million which was the price he had agreed to pay.
On Thursday, she testified that she agreed to sell the shares to her brother for $2 million - but the money would be a loan to him for his property business.
In 2007, when she asked for payment, he denied owing her money.
Taking the witness stand on Friday, Mr Ong said that as his other brothers also wanted to buy the mother's shares, he and his Mum set a fictitious price of $2 million to deter them.
To make it look like a purchase, Mr Ong gave his mother a cheque for $1 million on March 8, 1999 as part payment of the shares.
The next day, she returned the amount with a cashier's order. Within hours, he paid her the 'second' $1 million which was returned to him the following through a cashier's order.
He said that he 'pumped' the $1 million into the company to keep it afloat.
Despite all that he had done to help his siblings settle their debts, he said they tried to depict him as a greedy person.
Both sides will be submitting final arguments in three weeks for Justice Woo Bih Li to decide on the verdict.
