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Divorce battle of Russia's richest man

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The former wife of the Russian billionaire, Vladimir Potanin, has said that she may bring her divorce battle to London if the Russian Supreme Court rejects her appeal of a court ruling there. Greater Manchester residents may be interested to know that Forbes has declared him to be Russia's richest man and that he is estimated to be worth £10 billion. The couple were married for 30 years and he has offered a divorce settlement worth £32 million.

London has been the location of a number of high profile divorce battles as a result of the legal principle in U.K family law that the homemaker is the equal partner to the income earner in a marriage. The former wife of the Russian mining tycoon said that laws protecting women in Russia were at times ineffective. She claimed that when he first announced his decision to divorce her, he said she could have private health care and maintenance payments for their son. She is now battling for a settlement of £5 billion.

The family property, which has a casino in the basement, is located outside Moscow, but his former wife is now living in London and has said that if she returns to Russia she fears that her passport will be confiscated. The Russian courts had dismissed her claim after the oligarch persuaded them that he in fact owned no assets. 

Fundamental to the divorce process in the U.K. is the full disclosure of all assets by both parties in the marriage. A solicitor who has family law experience of this type may be able to provide valuable advice regarding complex asset division settlement agreements.

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