Russian billionaire Arkady Rotenberg challenged the decision of the High Court of London in the UK Court of Appeal, which ordered him to transfer the mansion to his ex-wife Natalia for £ 27.5 million ($ 36.2 million). Writes about this The Times.

“Only this week, when it came to the Court of Appeal, did it become known about the complex structure of offshore companies surrounding the house,” the newspaper writes.

Rotenberg's lawyers argue that the Ribsden mansion, located near the village of Bagshot in Surrey (about 50 km from central London), did not belong to the entrepreneur himself, and therefore should not participate in the division of the ex-spouses' property.

The documents submitted to the court say the mansion was bought by the British Virgin Islands-registered company Ravendark in 2012. The newspaper claims that Dmitry Kalantyrsky, the former chairman of the board of SMP Bank, which belongs to Arkady Rotenberg and his brother Boris, is listed as the owner of the company.

According to the publication, Ravendark received a £ 34.5 million ($ 45.48 million) loan from the Cypriot company Olpon Investments, controlled by Rothenberg, to buy real estate. The Times notes that the amount also covered the £ 4.1m stamp duty, the purchase of a Bentley car for Natalia Rotenberg, and insurance for her jewelry collection. £ 19,500 ($ 25,600) was spent on a safe and shelter. The newspaper, referring to court documents, writes that Kalantyrsky eight years ago when buying a mansion made a bet on the UK real estate market, hoping to profit from the sale of the object in the future.

In a positive decision in favor of Natalia Rotenberg in this case last year, the judge said the loan agreement was a "red herring" and the "real beneficiary" of the property was Arkady Rotenberg. The Times writes that the court was also notified that Rotenberg did not pay his ex-wife £ 30 thousand a month ($ 39.4), as agreed in the agreement.

The publication reports that Natalia Rotenberg has not lived in the UK since 2018, as the Home Office refused to renew her visa. The consideration of the case has been postponed for now and will be resumed next year.

The marriage of Natalia and Arkady Rotenberg lasted from 2005 to 2013. The divorce proceedings, which began with the decision of the magistrate of the court district No. 160 of the Tushinsky district of Moscow, then continued in London (Rotenberg appeared in the case file as "Russian citizen R."). In court, the ex-spouse of Rotenberg tried to achieve invalidation of the marriage contract (if the claim was satisfied, she could claim half of the businessman's fortune). The process ended in July 2016.