MOSCOW, February 27 (RAPSI, Ingrid Burke) – Russian billionaire Dmitri Rybolovlev has won a lawsuit filed by his estranged wife Yelena Rybolovleva in connection with a Hawaiian property, a source close to the case confirmed for RAPSI Thursday.
The source stated that the First Circuit Court of the State of Hawaii entered a final judgment on February 11 in favor of Rybolovlev and other defendants.
The court thus dismissed the complaint filed in Hawaii by Rybolovleva, who in turn released and withdrew a notice of lis pendens she had earlier filed in connection with the Hawaiian property.
Courthouse News reported in August that Rybolovleva had sued Rybolovlev in Hawaii over allegations that he had used a “sham” company to purchase a $20 million Kauai property in contravention of a freeze order issued by the Supreme Court of Switzerland.
The report quoted the complaint as having stated: “Upon information and belief, between June 2010 and April 2011, defendant Rybolovlev, in direct contravention of the Swiss Court Order, liquidated his interest in both JSC Uralkali and Silvinit, worth several billion dollars, and used the proceeds, in part, to acquire the Property.”
Sergey Chernitsyn, a spokesperson for Rybovlev later told Courthouse News that the structures challenged by Rybolovleva had been created before the divorce proceedings were commenced, adding that the Swiss freeze order was binding only within the jurisdiction of the Swiss courts.
The report quoted Chernitsyn as having stated, "All the transactions challenged by the wife took place outside of Switzerland and are not affected by the Swiss order. The wife failed to enforce the Swiss order or obtain an independent freezing injunction in the relevant jurisdictions."
Rybovleva made international headlines earlier this week when she was reportedly held and questioned in connection with the alleged theft of a diamond ring thought to be valued at $25 million.