Woman due £450m divorce payout accuses eldest son of putting assets beyond reach

A woman fighting to get her hands on nearly £450 million she is owed by her Russian billionaire ex-husband says her eldest son has played a “central role” in putting assets beyond her reach.

Tatiana Akhmedova was awarded a 41.5% share of businessman Farkhad Akhmedov’s £1 billion-plus fortune by a British judge in late 2016.

Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, who analysed the case at a trial in the Family Division of the High Court in London, said Ms Akhmedova should get £453 million.

But judges have heard she has so far received about £5 million and that Mr Akhmedov has not “voluntarily” paid a penny.

Mr Akhmedov has said that because he and his ex-wife are not British, and were not married in Britain, a British judge should not have made decisions.

Ms Akhmedova says he has tried to put assets, including a £346 million yacht – the MV Luna – and a modern art collection, beyond her reach.

She is now also taking legal action against her son, Temur.

A barrister who leads her legal team told a judge analysing the latest stage of litigation, at a virtual hearing in the Family Division of the High Court on Wednesday, about Temur’s “central role”.

Alan Gourgey QC told Mrs Justice Gwynneth Knowles that Temur had received tens of millions of pounds from his father, and added: “The evidence shows that Temur has played a central role in putting assets beyond Tatiana’s reach.”

Temur, a trader who lives in London and is aged in his mid-twenties, disputes allegations made against him.

He says his father said money would be available to invest on the financial market.

Mrs Justice Knowles is considering a number of preliminary issues.

Further hearings are scheduled for later in the year.