Friends and the former partner of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung have strenuously denied the animal welfare charity they set up together has been used to launder money, saying the model and influencer was deeply committed to rescuing stray dogs and cats.

Choi’s partner Chris Tam and close friends Joey Wong, known as Mrs Pao, and Wong’s partner Bernard Cheng, a lawyer, called the online allegations of fraud an attack on their character and the memory of the late socialite.

“The four of us initially established the charity wholeheartedly, wanting to help those who need to care for animals, volunteers and the animals themselves,” Tam said in a letter to the Post.