Russian oil tycoon accused of cheating with secret second family faces jail for not paying legal fees in multi-million pound divorce fight
Mikhail Kroupeev, the non-executive chairman of energy company Gulfsands, appeared at the High Court in London today following the collapse of his 36-year marriage.
His wife, Elena Kroupeev, discovered in 2023 her husband had been living a double life with a secret family in Russia.
Mr Kroupeev now stands accused of refusing to comply with numerous court orders following the pair's 'tempestuous' separation.
Elena Kroupeev began proceedings for a financial settlement in July 2024, and in February, her husband was ordered to pay just over £195,000 towards her legal fees.
But her lawyers said he had failed to comply with that and other subsequent orders demanding he reveal the true extent of the wealth from his business empire.
He therefore owed her more than £837,000, they said, while a freezing order had also been made covering £38million ($51 million) of his assets. Ms Kroupeev's lawyers said the judge should now issue an order for his imprisonment for contempt of court.
'It is suggested that nothing short of a period of imprisonment will be an effective punishment,' the lawyers said in their court submission.
Mr Kroupeev's lawyer Michael Glaser said the allegations about their marriage and alleged affairs should not have been made.
'Not only are they not relevant, they are denied,' he told the court, saying the contested court order was subject to an appeal.
However, the judge rejected his attempt to have the case adjourned.
The couple, who are both Russian nationals but have British citizenship, moved to Britain in 1993. Ms Kroupeev's lawyer Justin Warshaw said Mr Kroupeev had made his fortune through his connections with Yuri Shafranik, a former Russian energy minister.
As well as Gulfsands, which Ms Kroupeev's lawyers said had a contract to export oil from Syria, his business interests included Jupiter Energy, which is involved in oil and gas exports in Kazakhstan, and Waterford Finance which specialises in oil, gas and other energy projects.
'They have been a very wealthy family for a very long time,' Mr Warshaw told the court, saying they lived an 'opulent lifestyle'.
The couple's assets were extensive, including a £15million house in north London, luxury homes in Portugal and Turkey, and a portfolio of properties in Russia worth 10 million pounds, her lawyers said. The couple also took luxurious holidays that involved flying by private jet, they said.
'A large motivation for travelling privately would be to ensure that the family dogs could go on holiday with the family,' her legal team said in their submission.
While Ms Kroupeev was in court on Wednesday, her husband, who is in Cyprus, attended remotely by videolink.
The hearing continues.
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