Ex-wife of Russian oligarch wins latest leg of divorce dispute

The ex-wife of a wealthy Russian oligarch locked in a bitter dispute over a multi-billion pound fortune has won the latest round of an ongoing legal battle.

Previously, Ms Tatiana Akhmedova was awarded a record-breaking £453 million settlement during a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London last year.

The settlement – which her disgruntled ex-husband, Mr Farkhad Akhmedov, says is “manifestly unfair” – has been described as the largest ever made in a divorce dispute overseen by an English judge.

However, Ms Akhmedova has argued that she is yet to receive a penny from her ex-husband, who has allegedly been making “seriously iniquitous” attempts to salt away his assets.

During the 2017 hearing, a written ruling penned by Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, which was published on a legal website, revealed details of Mr Akhmedov’s fortune – which included a £90 million secret art collection.

The oil and gas tycoon had all his assets frozen in response to his “naked determination” to keep his fortune out of Ms Akhmedova’s reach, a report in The Times suggests.

Earlier this week, however, three Court of Appeal judges considered legal issues relating to a solicitor who previously represented Mr Akhmedov during the early stages of proceedings.

Mr Akhmedov argued that this solicitor had been unfairly summoned at short notice to give evidence to Mr Justice Haddon-Cave – but the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Ms Akhmedova, who argued that the complaint should be dismissed.

Commenting on the decision, Mr Akhmedov said that he was “neither surprised nor disappointed.”

However, he complained that the British courts had shown him “no justice” and that London judges were wrong to “interfere” in the breakdown of his marriage.

He indicated that he would continue to defend his rights in other jurisdictions.