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AS Monaco boss in €3.3bn divorce
Court in Switzerland orders Russian oligarch to hand over half his fortune to ex-wife after six-year settlement row
A SWISS court has ordered Dmitry Rybolovlev, the billionaire owner of French Ligue 1 football club AS Monaco, to pay almost €3.3bn to his ex-wife.
Elena Rybolovlev's lawyer described the settlement as "the most expensive divorce in history". It is reported to be half the Russian oligarch’s fortune.
Mr Rybolovlev can appeal against the court's decision.
The couple met when they were students, and married 23 years ago in Cyprus.
But the relationship was effectively over since 2008. In a ruling made last week, but only released yesterday, the court in Geneva, where Ms Rybolovlev lives, also awarded her custody of their younger daughter, Anna, who is 13.
According to Forbes, Mr Rybolovlev is the world’s 147th richest man, with a personal fortune of €7.1bn. He made his fortune in potash, selling a controlling stake in fertiliser firm Uralkali for a reported $6.5bn after spending 11 months in prison awaiting trial on charges of ordering a contract killing. He was acquitted in 1997.
The settlement dwarfs previous divorces. Viacom and CBS boss Summer Redstone was ordered to pay his wife €1.5bn when they split after 55 years of marriage. Basketball star Michael Jordan paid out $150m to his ex-wife Juanita Vanoy, and Tiger Woods split from Elin Nordegren cost him $100m.
