New court battle over Lady Hiroko Barclay’s £100 million divorce payout  

A new legal battle between Sir Frederick Barclay and Lady Hiroko Barclay is underway at the High Court over a £100 million divorce payout.

Lady Hiroko Barclay is now seeking enforcement of a ruling made in May this year against her 86-year-old former husband, following the award of her £100 million settlement by Mr Justice Cohen in the Family Division.

The settlement in May was ordered to be paid in two £50 million deposits to Lady Barclay but the judge found that a court order involving the sale of a luxury yacht had been breached, with Sir Frederick keeping the money for himself instead of contributing the proceeds to the settlement.

“Part of [his] available assets included a luxury yacht which was on the market for sale … I made orders intended to control the sale and the use of the proceeds. He completely ignored those orders, sold the yacht and applied the equity for his own use. I regarded that behaviour as reprehensible,”

said Mr Justice Cohen.

Although the new court proceedings are currently being conducted in private, Sir Frederick wanted to keep the details of his divorce secret via a closed hearing. This was overruled after Lady Barclay successfully argued that Sir Frederick has a position that is “in the public eye” and that therefore publication of the transcript and details should be made available.

“(He) is a public figure who should have been aware of the potential consequences of disobedience of court orders and his behaviour in the proceedings should not be allowed to pass completely under the radar”,

said Mr Justice Cohen.

In a statement issued after the proceedings in May, Sir Frederick commented:

“I am saddened that after 34 years my marriage has come to an end. This was not something I wanted. I hope my former wife can find happiness. I wish her well.”

Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, recently published a series of recommendations to increase transparency in the courts, stating that secret hearings are “undermining confidence” in the family courts.