Ferrari driver’s widow says sorry

Wife breaks silence and apologises to families of victims who died in crash

THE widow of the Ferrari driver who was killed last weekend broke her silence and apologised to the other victims of the fatal accident.

He Tingting, the wife of Ma Chi, said in a post on Weibo, a popular website for Chinese nationals, that her family “will not ignore the matter”, reported Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao yesterday.

“We apologise to the families of the taxi driver and his female passenger who were killed by Ma Chi’s driving error,” she wrote in Chinese.

“We will deal responsibly with whatever comes after (but) it all depends on the accident report that we are waiting for.”

Ma died at the scene after he allegedly ran a red light in the Bugis area and rammed into a taxi.

Cabbie Cheng Teck Hock, 52, and his passenger Shigemi Ito, 41, died later in hospital.

Two others, motorcyclist Muhammad Najib Ghazali, 26, and student Wuweiwei, who was in the car with Ma, were injured in the crash.

He, 28, who is expecting her second child, said her family expressed concern for Wu, but said they did not know her personally.

“Our whole family is in the midst of celebrating the arrival of a new life, but we have also suffered a blow,” she added.

“Please understand and respect us. Ma Chi has already paid a heavy price for his actions.”

He’s comments come on the back of widespread speculation online over who her husband really was.

Chinese netizens were speculating that Ma is the son of China’s former top economic planner Ma Kai.

The 66-year-old former head of the National Development and Reform Commission is now secretary-general of the State Council, China’s Cabinet.

The purported links between the dead driver and the senior Chinese official highlights the resentment that many in China harbour towards the offspring of tycoons or officials.

Many questioned how the late 31year-old private investor from southwestern Sichuan province could have made it so rich so young.

People close to the younger Ma said he was not the son of the Chinese official.

Tony Du, founder of the Tian Fu Club, largely for Sichuanese in Singapore, said he was simply “a very hard-working and clever young man”.

This was echoed by others from the club, who said Ma was an only child and a self-made man, who bought the Ferrari on his own steam.

Ma was not a Tian Fu member but was often seen accompanying his wife, who is a member, to club events.

“He was very loving to her, and very supportive. He made sure she never came alone,” said a member who declined to be named.

In her Weibo post, He also refuted claims that her husband came from money. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network