The son of a Russian oligarch has agreed to return to London to give evidence at a High Court showdown with his mother, after claiming he fled to Moscow due to fears he could be ‘held hostage’ by her legal team if they seized his passport.
Temur Akhmedov is being sued by Tatiana Akhmedova over claims that he colluded with his father to prevent her receiving a £453 million divorce pay out.
Ms Akhmedova, 52, secured the landmark settlement from her ex-husband Farkhad Akhmedov, 64, an oil and gas tycoon, following the end of their 27-year marriage in 2016.
Her legal team is arguing at the High Court that Britain’s largest ever divorce payout remains ‘almost entirely unsatisfied,’ blaming Temur, 27 for helping to hide his father’s considerable assets and acting as his ‘lieutenant.’
Temur was supposed to be present the start of the hearing today but appeared via video link and cried that he was unable to be in London because he cannot afford to pay for a hotel or lawyers and is not allowed to live in his £30 million apartment.
This week Temur, 27, faces a deeply painful showdown with his mother, Tatiana Akhmedova, at the Royal Courts of Justice (pictured: Ms Akhmedova, centre, and Temar, right)
Tatiana Akmedova (right) is accusing her son Temur (left) of helping his father to hide assets from her and British authorities after she was awarded a landmark payment of £453million in a 2016 divorce
He is subject of a court order made earlier this year which has limited his spending to £3,000 per week, frozen his assets and prevents him for securing any loans or living at his £30 million London apartment in one of Britain’s costliest block of flats, which was given to him by his father when he was aged 19.
As the High Court hearing got underway remotely, Mrs Justice Knowles was told that instead of travelling to London from Dubai, where he had been staying, Temur had instead gone to Russia.
She was also informed that he was appearing without any legal representation as he was unable to pay his lawyers.
When asked to explain by the judge Temur, who was speaking via video link from Moscow cried: ‘My lawyers can’t act for me without money. Over the weekend, I got stressed, I got scared. I don’t know what to do.
Farkhad Akhmedov (pictured), who made his money from oil and gas, claimed he has given Tatiana millions of pounds to pay for her luxurious lifestyle and numerous household staff
‘I can’t live at [London flat], where am I supposed to go? I don’t have a credit card to pay for a hotel. I can’t call my mum and ask ‘can I live with you at your house because she’s suing me.’
Temur added: ‘I came to Moscow, my sister is here. I can stay with her. I came to Moscow because everything got flipped upside down. I’m not hiding.’
He revealed that he was being ‘harassed’ and followed by surveillance teams, which had put him under extreme stress.
Temur told the court: It’s a lot of stress. I’m being sued by my mother. Everyday I’m drinking a lot, it’s a lot of stress.’
When asked by the judge who had bought his air ticket from Dubai to Moscow, which the court was told was an economy class, Temur replied that it was ‘a friend.’
He added that his expenses in Moscow were being met by his sister and friends.
Temur asked Mrs Justice Justice Knowles to vary her earlier financial order against him so that he can secure a loan from a private company to pay his lawyers and travel to London.
He revealed that he feared being held ‘hostage’ and that his mother’s legal team might try to seize his passport, preventing him from leaving Britain once he has given his evidence next week.
Temur said: ‘I would be a hostage, I’m worried about that.
‘My liberty and my life are at stake. I want an assurance that I would be allowed to leave the country once I have given evidence.’
Granting his request for a loan, which was revealed to be £2 million by sources close to Temur, MrsJustice Knowles warned him that he would only receive it once his legal team had confirmed that he was in London.
She also warned him that if he did not attend court next Tuesday to give evidence, as he promised, he could be fined or face imprisonment.
The judge said: ‘If you comply with my order there’s no reason for you to feel concerned about your liberty.
‘If you don’t come back there’s no loan. I want you back in my court room no later than 8 December, that’s when you are required to give evidence. If you disobey this order, you will be in contempt of court and you could be fined or even imprisoned.’
The hearing resumes next Monday when Ms Akhmedova will give evidence.
Akhmedova was handed ownership of the couple’s £20m Surrey home (pictured) and an art collection worth more than £30m [File photo]
In addition to half of Mr Akhmedov’s billion-pound fortune, assets at stake include a private jet and an Aston Martin (pictured)
Assets at stake include a £115million art collection featuring paintings by Andy Warhol (pictured), Mark Rothko and Damien Hirst
A spokesman for Temur said after the hearing: ‘Temur is reassured and relieved that the Judge has said unequivocally that no order exists providing for the confiscation of his passport or preventing his leaving the UK once he has given evidence.
‘Furthermore he is pleased she said it was hard to conceive of circumstances in which such an order could be made in her court.
‘Temur will be on his way to London shortly and looks forward to giving his evidence in full in the High Court next week.
‘Naturally he regrets that the actions of his own mother and her backers, Burford Capital, have made this necessary.’
Alan Gourgey QC, representing Ms Akmedova told the court that Temur had not complied with their requests for full disclosure of his assets and where the money came from.
He told the court that Temur had been asked about a number of cars belonging to him, including a Rolls Royce, Mercedes S class and a Tesla.
The court was told that when asked about the Rolls Royce, which was purchased in 2018 by Temur, he stated in documents presented to his mother’s legal team, that it was a gift from a friend. In a subsequent document he claimed that it belonged to his brother Edgar.
The jewel in the crown for both sides is the Luna, a £350million superyacht that used to belong to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (pictured)
Akhmedova has gone to great lengths to try and claim the money she was granted in the ruling, attempting to seize Farkhad’s mega yacht Luna (pictured), which is worth more than £350m in lieu of payment [File photo]
The court heard that the Rolls Royce had a private registration plate of 123TA.
Mr Gourgey said: ‘Please explain how Edgar is the owner of the vehicle?’ The Rolls Royce is a rather expensive car and the lack of any responses and change in responses is somewhat telling.’
He added that Temur had also not adequately explained the ‘substantial cash sources’ he had access to, which showed that he was spending more than £3,000 per week.
Mr Gourgey said: ‘By any view, what we are talking about here is in excess of what he’s allowed to spend.’
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Holland & Holland shotguns (pictured) are amongst the potential assets at stake during the legal battle
Temur insisted that he had provided all the documents he had on his finances, but Mrs Justice Knowles berated him, claiming that what had been handed over to his mother’s legal team was ‘lacking.’
She added: ‘The documentary evidence provided by you is rather lacking. It does not deal with the key issues.’
Responding to his request to change her earlier order and receive a loan, Mrs Justice Knowles told Temur: ‘If I do permit this then I’m going to require you to produce evidence and disclosure of your means and you better make a better fist of it than you have done before.
‘I’m not impressed. You will have to provide additional documents to me.’
The hearing continues.
