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The wife of a Russian oligarch has asked the UK court to jail her husband for unpaid legal fees

The wife of a Russian oligarch has asked the UK court to jail her husband for unpaid legal fees

The wife of an oil tycoon from Russia asked a London judge on Wednesday for a jail sentence against her husband. She claimed that he repeatedly refused to pay the legal fees she incurred in their multimillion-dollar divorce case.

Elena Kroupeeva, Mikhail Kroupeev's wife, accuses him of refusing numerous court orders after their 36-year-old marriage ended.

The legal team of Kroupeeva told the court that the couple split in "tempestuous circumstances" after Kroupeeva learned in 2023 that her husband was living a double-life with a second secret family in Russia for the majority of the past 20 years.

Kroupeev began her proceedings in July 2024 for a financial settlement. In February, she was ordered to pay a little over 195,000 pounds toward her legal fees.

Her lawyers claimed that he failed to comply with this and subsequent orders demanding that he reveal the full extent of his wealth from his business empire.

They said he owed her over 837,000 pounds and that a freezing order was also made for his assets worth 38 million pounds (about $51 million). Her lawyers said that the judge should issue an order to imprison him for contempt.

In their submission to the court, her lawyers stated that "nothing less than a period imprisonment would be an effective punishment."

Michael Glaser, Kroupeev’s lawyer, said that the accusations about their marriage and an alleged affair should never have been made.

He told the court that the court order in dispute was appealable.

The judge, however, rejected his request to adjourn the case.

The couple, both Russian citizens with British citizenship, moved from Russia to Britain in the year 1993. Justin Warshaw, Kroupeeva’s lawyer, said Kroupeev made his fortune from his connections with Yuri Shafranik - a former Russian Energy Minister.

Along with Gulfsands - which Kroupeeva’s lawyers claimed had a contract for the export of oil from Syria - his other business interests include Jupiter Energy which exports oil and gas to Kazakhstan and Waterford Finance, which specialises on oil, gas, and other energy projects.

Justin Warshaw told the court that Kroupeeva and her family had lived an "opulent life" for many years.

Her lawyers stated that the couple had a large portfolio of assets, including a house worth 15 million pounds in north London and luxury homes in Portugal, Turkey and Russia. They also claimed that the couple took luxury holidays, which included flying on a private jet.

In their submission, her legal team stated that a large part of the reason for traveling privately is to allow the family dog to go on vacation with the family.

Videolink allowed Kroupeeva's husband in Cyprus to attend the hearing remotely. The hearing continues. The hearing continues.

(source: Reuters)