It is the most expensive divorce judgment ever pronounced by the English courts.
The ruler of Dubai, Mohammed ben Rached al-Maktoum, was ordered, Tuesday, December 21, in London, to pay more than 640 million euros to his ex-wife and their children.
This judgment is the latest episode in a series of legal battles revealing kidnappings, boat leaks and computer hacks within the family of the emir of the strategic Gulf city-state.
The 72-year-old leader, head of government of the United Arab Emirates, will have to pay 251.5 million pounds (around 300 million euros) to his sixth wife, Princess Haya of Jordan, 47, who had fled to London in 2019, taking their two children.
He will also have to make payments for their children Al Jalila, 14, and Zayed, nine, which could reach a total of 290 million pounds (over 340 million euros) to cover alimony and costs related to their security, according to a judgment of the family court.
Reinforced security
The total amount, which includes tens of thousands of pounds for vacation or pet-related expenses, could vary depending on several factors, including whether the children come to terms with their father.
These record financial compensations exceed those granted in 2016 by an English court to the ex-wife of Russian billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov, Tatiana Akhmedova (453 million pounds, or 531 million euros, in 2016).
A spokesperson for Mohammed ben Rached al-Maktoum said that the latter "has always made sure that his children are free from want".
"The court has now rendered its decision on the financial aspect and it does not intend to comment further."
Making his ruling, Judge Moor ruled that "given their status and the general threats of terrorism and kidnapping they face in such circumstances, (the sovereign's children) are particularly vulnerable and in need of enhanced security to ensure their safety in this country ".
He added that "the main threat they face comes from the (ruler) himself, and not from outside sources."
Spying and Harassment
The High Court ruled in October that Mohammed ben Rached al-Maktoum, who has long maintained diplomatic relations with Elizabeth II and shares his love of horses with the queen, had authorized the hacking of the phone of his wife and those of its British lawyers.
The judge stressed that the sovereign had "harassed and intimidated the mother before she left for England and since".
In March 2020, the family court ruled that the sovereign had "ordered and orchestrated" the kidnapping of two of his daughters whom he had from another wife, Princess Shamsha in 2000 in Cambridge, and his sister Latifa.
The latter, who had tried in vain to flee Dubai by boat in 2018, said for a time to be held "hostage" by her father.
Last June, she said she was "free to travel" through her law firm.
An Olympic-level rider, Princess Haya, half-sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan, became in 2004 the sixth wife of the Emirati sovereign.
The judgment rendered on Tuesday shed light on a sumptuous lifestyle.
Until their departure from Dubai, Mohammed ben Rached al-Maktoum paid his ex-wife and their children more than 100 million pounds per year (117 million euros).
The latter, who lives in the affluent district of Kensington in London, and has a property on the outskirts of the capital, submitted to the court supporting documents showing annual expenditure of 14 million pounds, including the purchase of five cars last year.
They financed them by selling jewelry or horses.
According to the ruling, she had paid several million pounds during her marriage to bribe her security service and buy their silence on an affair with a protection officer.
Her ex-husband's defense also criticized her for purchasing three cars as a gift for her young son, to which she replied that he was "used" to such largesse.
With AFP
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