Wow, Farkhad Akhmedov really doesn't want to pay the divorce settlement awarded to his ex-wife Tatiana Akhmedova. Back in 2016 Tatiana was apparently awarded $572 million by a London court after their 20-year marriage fell apart. It's been a few years since that divorce settlement came down and Farkhad Akhmedov is still trying to nullify the settlement. He reportedly said in an email to his son Temur that he'd rather burn his money than pay Tatiana.
When Tatiana met Farkhad she was 17 and he was 34. They married in 1993 when she was 21 and pregnant. Shortly after they married, they moved to England.
During their divorce proceedings Farkhad reportedly attempted to claim that he divorced Tatiana in 2000 in Moscow. The London courts rejected this claim. Had that claim stood, Tatiana would not be entitled to the money that Farkhad made after 2000. Farkhad made the bulk of his fortune in that post-2000 period.
Farkhad sold his shares in ZAO Northgas for $1.375 billion in 2013.
The couple lived a lavish lifestyle while married. They lived in a $54.4 million home in Surrey, England and had a $39 million vacation home. Their art collection was worth $125 million and the couple had a $58.7 million private jet. Akhmedov also had a $420 million, 377-foot super yacht. Tatiana was at one point awarded the yacht in the divorce settlement.
Their marriage started to fall apart in 2013 and ended in 2014. Tatiana's attorneys claim that since then, Farkhad has done everything he could to make sure his ex-wife, the mother of his two children, got nothing from him. He reportedly moved nearly all of his assets to offshore accounts to hide them from her and the courts while the divorce trial took place. As part of the divorce settlement, the judge ordered a transfer of the couple's assets, including the art collection, to a fund in Liechtenstein.
Tatiana has been tireless in her pursuit of the money owed to her by her ex-husband. She's also suing her son Temur, alleging that he helped his father hide assets and owes her $50 million. Temur believes his mother's claim should be dismissed.
Tatiana is also still trying to find the assets her ex hid from her. According to recent news reports, the only money Tatiana has received from the divorce settlement is $5.7 million from the sale of a helicopter her ex-husband owned. Her ex is continuing to claim that English courts should not have any jurisdiction over him or his ex-wife since they are not British. However, they have lived in England since the early 1990s.
This case is ongoing and soon will enter its sixth year of back-and-forth drama between the former couple.