Russian oligarch’s ex-wife arrives at High Court for legal showdown with her own SON

The son of a Russian oligarch was accused of being a ‘compulsive liar’ who had ‘perverted the course of justice’ as part of plan to prevent his mother from receiving a mammoth divorce settlement.

Tatiana Akhmedova, 52 is suing her son Temur Akhmedov, 27 over claims that he acted as his father’s ‘lieutenant’ and colluded with him to conceal his fortune and ensure that she did not receive a landmark £453 million divorce pay out.

Ms Akhmedova secured Britain’s largest divorce settlement from her ex-husband Farkhad Akhmedov, 64, an oil and gas tycoon, following the end of their 27-year marriage in 2016.

At the start of today’s hearing, Temur was accused of defying a number of earlier High Court orders and failing to disclose information that could be relevant to the case contained in electronic devices he owned and details about his personal wealth, including how much cash he kept in a safe.

Alan Gourgey QC, representing Ms Akhmedova told the court that Temur had submitted a last-minute statement admitting to defying a number of court orders but ‘continues to lie.’

He said: ‘He’s admitted deliberate breaches of court orders. He’s a compulsive liar.

‘His lies and deception have continued over the past fortnight and we say continue today. Evidence of his misconduct is overwhelming.’

The court also heard sensational details from the housekeeper at the Akhmedov family villa in the south of France, who claims that Temur deliberately bribed a DHL courier to ‘lose’ electronic devices he was instructed to hand over to the court earlier this year,

This included mobile phones, laptops and tablets, which Ms Akhmedova’s lawyers had asked for, claiming they could have information relevant to their case.

Temur was in France at the time the order was made, with the housekeeper alleging that she was also involved in bribing the courier when he came to collect them for dispatch to the court.

The housekeeper has arrived in London to give evidence on behalf of Ms Akhmedova at the High Court, but the judge has still not decided if she will be allowed to do so.

Temur denies the bribery allegation but admits that he did not hand over all the electronic devices he was ordered to because ‘I wanted things to disappear.’

He claims that he took some of them to the family home in Moscow and is now making arrangements for them to be sent to London for the current trial.

In his statement, Temur also confessed to owning a number of luxury cars, including a £350,000 Rolls Royce and three brand new Mercedes which he initially insisted were not his.

Mr Gourgey told the Honourable Mrs Justice Knowles: ‘These are not cheap cars.’

The judge replied: ‘I’ll take your word for it. I am not a petrol head.’

Mr Gourgey also revealed that after initially claiming that only £45,000 was kept in the safe at the home in France as a ‘float,’ which he was responsible for, Temur was now admitting that the figure was actually £182,000 and that it had been increased after he and his father won money at a Monaco casino.

The issue of Temur’s financial position is crucial to the case as Ms Akhmedova alleges that her ex-husband gave him more than £90 million as way of putting his wealth ‘beyond her reach.’

Robert Levy, QC, representing Temur admitted to the court that his client had now ‘fessed up to significant and serious breaches of court orders.’

He added: ‘The fact of the matter is that he has played fast and loose for several months in a misguided attempt to avoid delivering documents. He’s appeared today, he’s apologised and promises to assist.

‘He can be cross examined about all falsehoods that have been revealed as a result of this late ‘Come to Jesus’ moment.’   

Speaking ahead of the trial, Temur told MailOnline that he no longer loves his mother.

He fumed: ‘She doesn’t deserve to be called mother and I don’t love her anymore.

‘How can you love someone who wants to bring you down completely. It makes me very sad that I don’t have a mother anymore.

‘She’s trying to put me in prison and destroy me. If she was on the streets and needed help, then maybe I could understand what she’s doing. But she’s not. She lives in a £20 million house which has £40 million worth of art inside it.’

Amongst the other assets Ms Akhmedova is fighting for from her ex-husband in other cases include his £350 million mega yacht Luna, which he purchased from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and his £100 million art collection.

Although Mr Akhmedov is said to have offered his ex-wife £100 million to settle, she has pursued him through the courts in five countries, with today’s High Court action against her son the latest in a series of high-profile legal battles.

Last month, members of his mother’s legal team raided Temur’s London apartment which was given to him by his father when he was aged 19, to search for documentation relevant to the case.

According to court documents, 58 electronic devices were seized from the luxury flat including mobile phones, memory sticks and even a Peppa Pig game.

An underground car park and wine cellar were also searched for any evidence that he helped his father to stop his money from being seized by the British courts.