Russian oligarch's wife demands British court to imprison him for unpaid legal fees
Michael Holden
LONDON (Reuters) – The wife of the Russian oil tycoon asked a judge to jail her husband in London's High Court on Wednesday, claiming he has repeatedly failed to pay her attorney fees in his multi-million dollar divorce case.
Mikhail Kroupeev, non-executive chairman of energy company Gulfsands, was accused by his wife Elena Kroupeeeva of refusing to comply with many court orders after the 36-year marriage.
According to her legal team filing to the court, the couple separated in a “rambling” situation after Kroupeeva discovered her husband had lived a double life in Russia for most of the past 20 years in Russia.
She began litigation in July 2024 for a financial settlement, and in February, Kroupeev was ordered to pay more than £195,000 in attorneys' fees.
But her lawyer said he failed to comply with this, along with other orders that followed, demanded that he reveal the true extent of wealth from the business empire.
They say he now owes her £837,000 and the frozen order also covers £38 million ($51 million) of assets. Her lawyer said the judge should now order the court's jail.
“It would be a valid punishment to suggest a period of imprisonment,” her lawyer said in court filings.
Michael Glaser, a lawyer for Kroupeev, said allegations about his marriage and so-called affairs should not be filed.
“They are not only unrelated, but they are rejected,” he said, appealing for the controversial court order.
However, the judge rejected his attempt to postpone the case.
The couple are both Russian nationals but have British citizenship and moved to the UK in 1993.
Kroupeeeva's lawyer also said it was also a contract for exporting oil from Syria, and his business interests include Jupiter Energy, which involves oil and gas exports from Kazakhstan, as well as Watford Finance, which specializes in oil, gas and other energy projects.
“They have always been a very wealthy family,” Justin Warshaw, a lawyer for Kroupeeva, told the court.
Her lawyers say the couple has a wide range of assets, including £15 million homes in north London, luxury homes in Portugal and Turkey, and a portfolio of property worth £10 million in Russia. The couple also spent a luxurious holiday involving private jets, they said.
“The huge motivation for private travel is to ensure family dogs can take a vacation with their families,” her legal team said in the submission.
Kroupeeva was in court on Wednesday, with her husband attending remotely in Cyprus by Videolink. The hearing continues.
($1 = 0.7432 lbs)
(Report by Michael Holden; Edited by Aidan Lewis)
