Woman ‘being helped by ex-husband’s banker’ in battle for £450m

A HOUSEWIFE fighting to get her hands on nearly £450m she is owed by her Russian billionaire ex-husband is getting help from one of his former business associates, a High Court judge has heard.

Tatiana Akhmedova was awarded a 41.5 per cent share of businessman Farkhad Akhmedov’s

£1bn-plus fortune by a British judge in late 2016.

Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, who analysed the case at a trial in the Family Division of the High Court in London, said Ms Akhmedova should walk away with £453m.

But the judge has heard that she has so far pocketed about £5m and that Mr Akhmedov has not “voluntarily” paid a penny.

Another judge, who is analysing the latest stage of the litigation, has been told that Ms Akhmedova is being helped by a former banker who used to work for Mr Akhmedov.

Mrs Justice Gwynneth Knowles heard how Ross Henderson, who used to run an office for Mr Akhmedov but was dismissed about four years ago, contacted Ms Akhmedova around the time news of the payout emerged.

The judge said Mr Henderson had offered to help Ms Akhmedova with “managing her interests” and with her “litigation enforcement efforts”.

Mr Henderson had kept documents from the time he worked for Mr Akhmedov and had given Ms Akhmedova a USB stick containing documentation. Detail of Mr Henderson’s involvement has been outlined in a ruling, published online, by Mrs Justice Knowles following the latest High Court hearing in the case.

The judge said she had been asked to make decisions about what use Ms Akhmedova could make of documentation provided by Mr Henderson. She concluded that Ms Akhmedova, and her lawyers, could keep and use more than 200 “Henderson documents”.

The case continues.