© Tingey Injury Law Firm via Unsplash
One of Britain's longest-running divorce cases has finally come to an end after more than two decades of legal battle. The case ended with a £6.6 million (about €7.6 million) settlement for a woman. Her husband, a lawyer, had concealed assets of 28 million pounds (about 32.3 million euros).
According to The Times, Varsha Gohil, then 37, filed for divorce from Bhadresh Gohil in May 2002, claiming he had been guilty of adultery and unreasonable behavior. At the time, their three children were five, eight and 10 years old. In a 2004 financial settlement, Varsha accepted only 270,000 pounds and the family car. She later challenged that outcome after she became suspicious that Bhadresh had not fully disclosed his assets. Divorcing spouses are required by law to declare all assets, income and debts.
Her suspicions proved well-founded. In 2011, Bhadresh was convicted of money laundering and forgery and given a 10-year prison sentence. Prosecutors froze £28 million worth of assets hidden in corporate entities around the world.
The original 2004 settlement was overturned in 2015 and Varsha was granted the right to a new hearing at the Supreme Court. Due to complications in the process of recovering criminal assets, that hearing did not take place until 2023.
Three parties fight over frozen assets
During the trial, three parties disagreed on the answer to the question of who was entitled to the frozen assets. Bhadresh claimed that the assets were not his and therefore his wife could not claim them. Varsha, for her part, argued that they had belonged to her husband during their marriage and therefore she was entitled to a share. Finally, the prosecution argued that the entire £28 million was the proceeds of a crime and should be subject only to criminal restitution.
Judge Williams largely sided with Varsha. He ruled that the assets did belong to Bhadresh and that the prosecution had failed to prove that the entire £28 million had been obtained criminally. Indeed, part of it came from legitimate business activities during the marriage.
Settlement of £6.6 million
The judge has now awarded Varsha £6.6 million. The judge described Bhadresh as "thoroughly dishonest" and dismissed his self-image as a hard-working family man who had been wronged.
The case has considerable legal weight beyond the Gohil family. It sets a groundbreaking precedent that requires spouses to fairly declare all components of an asset before divorce settlements can be finalized. The ruling in this case better protects those whose partners previously concealed assets. The Court of Appeals closed the door on further appeals last month. This brings a definitive end to the 23-year saga.
Illustration picture: © Tingey Injury Law Firm via Unsplash