KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — Tycoon Tan Sri Khoo Kay Peng has said he was “shocked” to hear of his wife’s claim that she owns 1,000 pairs of shoes, also claiming during a high-profile divorce trial that she had allegedly not been “sincere and honest”.

The Malaysia-based Khoo, who was testifying through a video link, said he only guessed that his former Miss Malaysia wife Pauline Chai had between 20 to 40 pairs of shoes, saying that he himself does not own “a lot” of shoes and only bought what he needed.

“When I read the newspaper I was very, very surprised and shocked.

“How are you going to wear 1,000 pairs of shoes?” the 75-year-old Khoo was quoted telling a UK court yesterday by The Independent and the Daily Mail.

He was also reported making the inevitable comparison with Imelda Marcos, the wife of former Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos.

In a separate report by The Telegraph, Khoo also said he “was taken completely by surprise” when Chai filed the divorce suit without his knowledge

“I feel that she has not been sincere and honest with me,” he was quoted saying, testifying that he had carried out his duties as a husband and father where he had supported her and their family throughout their 43 years of marriage during which Chai did not work.

On October 3, The Telegraph reported that the 1969 Miss Malaysia claimed to have accumulated some 1,000 pairs of shoes in the 43 years she has been married to Khoo ― of which 700 pairs were stored away in the many rooms in the couple’s £30 million (RM156 million) home in Hertfordshire, England.

According to The Telegraph, 67-year-old Chai argued that her massive collection of shoes pointed evidently that she resides in UK, where she wants the divorce case to be heard.

While Khoo’s lawyer, Timothy Scott, had pointed out that Chai still owned an extensive collection of clothes, shoes and handbags in the couple’s home in Kuala Lumpur, she had reportedly insisted that it represented only a fraction of her collection ― which were old and out of fashion ― that she had left behind.

But Chai insisted that she had not filed the divorce petition for money but to escape from a “violent” relationship as she reportedly said: “I just wanted to get away from an abusive, oppressive relationship which I could not take because of my age.”

Chai was testifying in her highly-publicised £500 million (RM2.75 billion) divorce trial against her estranged husband. Upon hearing testimonies from both parties, the court is expected to decide whether it is the appropriate venue to hear the couple’s divorce or to refer the matter to a Malaysian court.

In the UK, Khoo stands to lose half his estimated RM2.75 billion, in what may be the biggest settlement in British history.

He previously sought for the case to be played out in Malaysia, where Chai, would have received a much smaller sum.

Still stuck in the preliminary stages, the case has already racked up over £2.3 million in legal fees.

Eyes are also on the case that may determine the direction of the growing number of jurisdictional tussles as more wealthy globetrotters choose to make Britain their home.

London is fast earning the title of “divorce capital of the world”, owing to decisions in divorce settlement in the English capital that reflect the equal contributions of homemakers and breadwinners in marriages.

Last month, Chai won a minor victory in Malaysia when the Federal Court here directed for the case to be returned to the London High Court to determine which legal arena will host the impending divorce battle.

Chai filed a divorce petition in London last year against Khoo, who is Malaysia’s 36th richest man, according to the Forbes 2013 list of Malaysia’s wealthiest, citing unreasonable behaviour by the major stakeholder in international brand Laura Ashley.

The former beauty queen had, through her lawyers, argued that the divorce proceeding should be decided in England since Chai, who has resided in England since the 1980s, is no longer a Malaysian citizen.

She had previously reportedly accused the “very controlling” retail and hotel tycoon of rationing her food and forbidding her from leaving their house without his permission.

Lawyers representing Khoo — who runs international investment holding company Malayan United Industries Bhd — argued that the tycoon’s marriage with Chai took place in Malaysia and that Malaysian laws provided that the jurisdiction for any divorce proceeding is determined by the husband’s domicile.

Khoo has vehemently denied Chai’s claims.