Malaysian beauty queen looks to London in split
Print Edition
LAS Vegas may be the best place for marriage but London is known as divorce capital of the world — and a Malaysian beauty queen’s bid for a big money split in court yesterday is only the latest in a long line of foreign break-ups.
Thousands of wealthy Chinese, Russians, Americans and Europeans, many of whom work in the City of London financial district or have bought property in Britain, now end their marriages before an English judge.
But few are as rich as businessman Khoo Kay Peng — who is worth at least an estimated US$640 million — and Pauline Chai, tales of whose 1,000 pairs of shoes and monthly spending on a Rolls Royce plus chauffeur has enthralled Britain’s press.
But their case has drawn fresh attention to a phenomenon which has made a handful of lawyers almost as rich as some of their clients.
“England has become very attractive for wives, in particular because awards here are considerably higher than almost anywhere in the world,” said Sandra Davis, head of the family law department at Mishcon de Reya.
“By the same count, it’s a jurisdiction that the wealth creator generally wants to avoid,” added Davis, who represented Diana, princess of Wales in her divorce from Prince Charles and US model Jerry Hall in her split from Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger.
A judge at London’s High Court was due to decide yesterday on whether Chai and Peng’s divorce after over 40 years of marriage should be heard in London, as the former Miss Malaysia wants, or in Malaysia, in line with her husband’s wishes.
While no precise figures exist on how many divorces in London have an international element, lawyers say they are common.
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