Fugitive Hong Kong tycoon puts £90m London mansion up for sale

Mr Lau and his family sold another townhouse at nearby 105 Eaton Square in recent years. That mansion included a 41-ft, gold-lined swimming pool, a winter garden with sliding glass roof, a spa and gym and a cinema room.

Located on the corner by Lyall Street, 82 Eaton Square is thought to include a swimming pool, lift, spa and stone-cantilevered staircase.

Eaton Square has been home to former prime ministers Stanley Baldwin, Neville Chamberlain and Margaret Thatcher, composer Frédéric Chopin and actors Sir Sean Connery, Sir Roger Moore and Vivien Leigh. It is also where James Bond’s fictional home was based.

Other notable past residents include Dame Joan Collins, TV chef Nigella Lawson and oligarch Roman Abramovich.

As prolific collectors of art and luxury goods, Mr Lau and his family have sold various assets in recent years, including a collection of 77 handbags, among them six Hermès diamond Birkins, which changed hands at a Sotheby’s auction last year for more than HK$25m (£2.5m).

Chinese Estates was a major backer of Evergrande, the now defunct construction giant. A Hong Kong court ordered Evergrande’s liquidation earlier this year after it defaulted on its huge debt pile, triggering a broader crisis in the Chinese property market.

Chinese Estates recorded a loss of around HK$7.9bn (£783.5m) in 2021 after offloading the bulk of its shares in the embattled developer. 

Following his Macau conviction, Mr Lau resigned as chairman of Chinese Estates. However, the company remains controlled by his family.