The late Asot Michael
The estate of slain St Peter’s MP Asot Michael remains in limbo after the High Court rejected competing efforts by his son and sisters to secure temporary control of his assets.
In a recent ruling, Justice Nicola Byer dismissed applications from Nigel Michael, the late politician’s only son, as well as from his aunts Teresa-Anne and Soraya Michael. Both sides had requested a special grant known as ad colligenda bona, which would have allowed them to manage the estate until the court resolves an ongoing dispute over Michael’s will.
Michael, who served as MP for St Peter for two decades, was discovered dead at his Dry Hill home on November 5, 2024. Alexta Francis, has been charged with his murder.
At the center of the estate battle is a will signed in March 2021. Nigel Michael claims the document is invalid, alleging his father was heavily intoxicated and lacked the mental capacity to make sound decisions when he signed it. His aunts, however, insist the will is legitimate and reflects their brother’s true wishes.
Justice Byer concluded that neither side had proven the kind of urgent circumstances required to justify emergency court intervention. “The evidence did not meet the threshold of any matter that needed to be dealt with to prevent waste or dissipation of the assets of the estate,” she wrote.
The judge added that both sides appeared more focused on preventing each other from accessing the estate than on safeguarding its assets.
Although Nigel failed in his bid for temporary control, the court did allow him to proceed with his broader challenge to the will’s validity, despite a delay in filing some documents. His attempt to add new claims concerning lapsed gifts was denied, however.
The sisters also won part of their request to strike out sections of Nigel’s filings, with the judge removing paragraphs deemed irrelevant or improperly raised.
The dispute, which pits the late MP’s only son against his siblings, is expected to drag on as the court weighs conflicting claims about Michael’s mental state, his struggles with alcoholism, and the proper handling of his estate.
Continue to RIP Asot Micheal you had a good soul….
This didn’t take long to begin!! Greed in its purest form as usual. In the end, nobody wins! Asit must be rolling in his good grave.
That when some people don’t know they place. That his son. Your his sister. If my brother pass I will not trouble my brothers family. But thats just me.
Why fight and only child for his father’s assets that’s real savage #familythemsay
Wicked set a beings
Let the man rest in peace or roll in hell. Why fight for the man’s stuff?
The character of this man should tell anyone that his left overs are not good.
Well well well imagine that. Is after death that gave more drama. People always say have a will but sometimes even with a will there are still disputes. Smfh.
Why don’t the controlling aunts just allow the man only child to have his assets
She is so greedy. Let the man son have what is due to him.
Typical human behavior. Asot remains alive even when ge has died. Oh well
When rich people die even those who never acknowledge them want their assets.
The problem with being rich. My concern tho, why fight the child if he’s the only son? Just let him enjoy his father’s property. What are the siblings going to do? Give it to their kids? Automatically the property should be his if he’s an only child
The battle of the riches! May Asot burn in hell in peace
Isn’t that the man who was killed by his ex male lover? Who would want his spols? Anything he owned would have been blighted? Guess people love to live haunted lives
It’s disturbing how quickly Michael’s relatives turned to the courts to fight over his estate. Instead of focusing on preserving his legacy or supporting each other in grief, they seem more interested in who gets control of the assets
May i also add…Nigel and his aunts are airing deeply personal issues which includes alcoholism, mental fitness, and family disputes in public. This risks tarnishing Michael’s memory even more than the tragic circumstances of his death. Rich people problems
As a long-serving MP, Michael was a public figure. His family feud over his will now overshadows his political career, leaving the public to remember chaos and infighting instead of service.
Justice Byer’s ruling makes it clear: there was no urgent threat to the estate. The rush to get temporary control wasn’t about protecting assets; it was about control and power within the family.
After reading the judge’s reasoning, I think the court made the right call. Allowing temporary control before the full probate process could’ve opened the door to misuse.
If there is a will and will was properly witnessed, and the testing witness can verify that the will was properly executed. Then the will is valid and Mr. Michaels final request should be on it. I two went through a lengthy court battle when the executor of my mother’s will try to strip me of everything not only did the court rule that the world was valid, but the executor and her crooked liar was removed from the dealing with the estate by the court, and I was made the executor of my mother‘s estate and things have move forward quite nicely