October 24th 2023.
The family of a late Russian tycoon, Vladimir Alekseyevich Scherbakov, are embroiled in a legal battle over his will, which has since mysteriously gone missing. The stakes are high, with a fortune of £100,000,000 up for grabs.
Vladimir had been a common sight in London's most exclusive clubs, and a member of some of the city's elite circles. He had amassed a great fortune in business and property, and owned a mansion. In 2015, the magnate made his will in England, leaving much of his assets outside of Russia to his British-based girlfriend, Brigita Morina, and her family.
However, in 2016, Vladimir fled to Belgium in the midst of a potential extradition to Russia. Despite the probe being dropped, he was found dead from hanging a year later, at the age of 56.
A legal fight has since erupted in the High Court, with Morina suing Vladimir's ex-wife Elena and their two children, Olga and Alexander, who are representing themselves in the case. They claim that Vladimir had intended to give them a larger share of his assets, and that his English will had been 'torn up'.
Despite this, Hodge Malek KC, representing Morina, stated before Justice Bacon that Vladimir had always 'intended to provide for her and their children upon his death', which is consistent with his ongoing love for them, as they had been the centre of his life.
Malek also accused Olga and Alexander of suppressing the will themselves, as they claim to have no knowledge of its whereabouts. However, it was allegedly misappropriated by an unknown figure in 2020, who demanded €35,000,000 in exchange for its return. It was inspected in Paris to verify its authenticity, and Malek argued that Vladimir would not have intended to die intestate, and would likely have made a new will had he known the original had fallen into third-party hands.
The court also heard that the relationships between Vladimir and his children had become 'strained and distant' in the years before his death, but he continued to support them financially. It is unsurprising then, as Malek pointed out, that the will does not provide for Olga and reduces Alexander's inheritance.
Vladimir had been living with Morina in Granville House, a £12,000,000 mansion in Weybridge, Surrey. They had been together since 2010 and he had proposed to her in a Knightsbridge restaurant. She is now asking for a declaration that he was domiciled in Russia but still a British citizen when he died, meaning his last known will is valid.
Olga and Alexander, with their mother currently not participating in the case, are asking for a grant of probate, a document which unlocks a deceased person's assets and bank accounts. They claim that he died intestate and was domiciled in Belgium at the time of his death.
The trial is expected to last two weeks, with the two sides yet to formally open their cases. It remains to be seen whether Morina will succeed in her quest to have Vladimir's will declared valid, or whether the family's allegations of it being 'torn up' will gain traction.
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