Oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin should be wary of their wives. When they divorce, the battle promises to be long and expensive. Some give up the fight and sign a check. This is the case of Roman Abramovich, 54, owner of Chelsea football club. In 2007, he sold part of his property, including a house in Great Britain for an amount of 250 million euros to his second wife Irina, a former Aeroflot hostess. In 2017, the king of aluminum Oleg Deripaska, 52, also reached an amicable agreement with his wife Polina for a sum of more than 330 million euros in the form of shares of his group.
Others, on the other hand, are struggling to extricate themselves from their proceedings, such as nickel tycoon Vladimir Potanin, 59, Putin’s hockey partner and whose ex-wife Natalia claims half of her fortune. Or Arkady Rotenberg, 68, Putin’s former judo comrade, head of a construction company and builder of the bridge linking Crimea annexed to Russia. The latter refuses to allocate to his ex-wife a residence located in Surrey, south of London and estimated at 29 million euros. Except that neither of them can inhabit it. The husband because of Western sanctions that target him, the wife because of a non-renewed visa.
And then there is the case of the moment: the divorce between Farkhad and Tatiana Akhmedov. The biggest divorce ever in the UK. He is a Russian businessman, of Azeri origin, who succeeded in building his fortune by reselling oil and gas fields in Siberia. It secures the favor of the Kremlin thanks to the good relations which it maintains with Turkey. So when in November 2015 the Turkish army shot down a Russian fighter plane on the Syrian border, it was he who played the mediator. He advises the Turkish presidency to write a letter of apology. His wife is of Russian origin, resident in Great Britain. In 2016, the London justice decided. After twenty years of marriage, Farkhad, 65, must cede 41.5% of his fortune to Tatiana, 48, or 453 million pounds (500 million euros). No question, replies the person, who claims to have already divorced in Russia in the early 2000s, without providing any evidence. He still shows himself a “good prince” by leaving him a property in Surrey and a collection of paintings by Andy Warhol and Mark Rothko.
What is madam doing? She is suing her own son, Temour, 27, of British nationality and a trader in London. She accuses him of helping her father to hide his assets. The ongoing trial is expected to be completed by the end of the month. If the judges agree with Tatiana, she could get her hands on her son’s assets: his London house valued at 43 million euros and a villa located in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat estimated at more than 15 million euros. euros. She would still be a long way off, but she would succeed in filling her wallet by stripping her offspring. It is therefore a nauseating family conflict where blows rain. Temour does not hesitate to call his mother a “raptor” and a “bitch”. As for Tatiana, she forces her son to reveal in court all of his correspondence consisting of his emails, WhatsApps and texts. How? ‘Or’ What ? Thanks to the decision of an American judge forcing Google to publish the son’s accounts. An astonishing verdict likely to set a precedent.
In fact, the first examination of Temour’s messages seems to complicate the father’s case. “I will burn this money rather than give it to him,” Farkhad wrote to his son. Temour admits his resentment towards his mother. “When I was a child, she taught me family values that she doesn’t respect,” he says.
Tatiana, it is true, does not let go. She even accuses Temour of removing from the list of her goods a Rolls-Royce bought 380,000 euros and two Mercedes. “I thought they were family cars,” Temour retorts. As for the pocket money received from his father, he explains having spent it during his studies in bad financial investments. Or 41 million euros gone up in smoke. “My mother knew about my losses,” he says.
Yacht in Dubai
Whatever, Tatiana continues her quest. A protagonist has an interest in it. Her name ? Burford Capital, an American investment fund, now in charge of the “debt” of the wife. The market is simple: it ensures the lifestyle of its client, takes care of legal actions and, in return, grants itself a third of the amount of the goods recovered. Only problem, for the moment the scales are tilted against it. He would have already spent 25 million euros for a meager loot of 4 million euros brought by a second-hand helicopter. Last year, Burford Capital believes, however, to get its hands on a jackpot: the “Luna”, the yacht of the oligarch, moored in Dubai, a boat estimated at 350 million euros and bought from billionaire Roman Abramovich. False alarm, the Emirati justice finally gives reason to the husband.
The fierce fight within the Akhmedov family does not prevent Tatiana from thinking about the future. “I love my son and hope to rebuild my relationship with him,” she told the judge. Not sure that the intention is reciprocal …
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
