Ecclestone's fortune could halve following divorce
Bernie Ecclestone, the billionaire owner of Formula One, could slip to 60th on the Sunday Times Rich List following a divorce from his Croatian wife Slavica, who is tipped to get half of his £2.4bn fortune.
Slavica Ecclestone confirmed she had filed for divorce from the 78-year old motor racing tycoon via a statement from her press representative yesterday.
It is set to be the latest in a string of high-profile UK divorces, with pop singer Madonna and film director Guy Ritchie's £50m settlement confirmed this month.
Sources said Slavica has appointed a lawyer, while Bernie is in the process of doing so. One source said Mrs Ecclestone had found a London-based lawyer to represent her in the divorse proceedings.
The couple were married for 24 years and have two adult children, two key points which could sway the settlement in favour of Mrs Ecclestone, said Simon Bethel, associate at City lawyer Mills and Reeve.
He said: "Given Mr and Mrs Ecclestone are reputed to be worth £2.4billion in the 2008 Rich List, this case may see the highest award to a wife in legal history. Part of the family wealth is already reputed to be controlled by Mrs Ecclestone through a Jersey-based trust fund, and thus the area of dispute may revolve around quantifying the value of Mr Ecclestone's motor racing empire."
The couple have at least £1.9bn of their fortune in Jersey-based trusts controlled by 49-year old Slavica, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
Ecclestone is a big donor to charity, giving away about £50m a year, and his assets inculde a yacht, a Falcon jet, and a hotel in Gstaad.
Last year he took over Championship football club Queens Park Rangers with Renault team boss Flavio Briatore.
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
reddit
StumbleUpon