A spokesman for Ecclestone's wife Slavica said on Thursday that
she had filed for divorce, but that seemed to come as news to the
diminutive motor racing chief when he was asked about it by
London's Evening Standard newspaper.
'Really? Oh... we will see. I didn't even know she had a PR
company. You hear of things - I must find out,' he said, adding
that his wife had moved out of their London home because of noise
from building works next door.
The couple have been married for nearly 24 years and are worth a
reported 2.4 billion pounds (S$5.3 billion), prompting lawyers to
predict that any divorce settlement could break records.
Ms Margaret Hatwood, an associate at law firm Thomas Eggar, said
it has got 'every chance of being the largest case ever' in English
law.
Although she played down reports that Slavica Ecclestone, a
Croatian former model, could get up to 50 per cent of the fortune,
she added that the length of the marriage could have a big impact
on the case.
'It's going to make a significant difference because one of the
factors the courts look at is the length and that's one reason why
Heather Mills did not get so much,' she told AFP.
Mills, who married former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney in 2002, was
awarded 24.3 million pounds in a divorce accord agreed in March
after lengthy and acrimonious negotiations.
Mr Simon Bethel, of law firm Mills and Reeve, said it could be
complicated to put a figure on the extent of their wealth.
'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 - that rather modest concern known
as Formula One,' he said.
Media reports suggest that Slavica Ecclestone, 50, moved out of
the family home in Chelsea, an affluent part of west London, the
weekend of the Brazilian Grand Prix at the start of this month
which saw Lewis Hamilton become F1 world champion.
Bernie Ecclestone, 78, is chief executive of Alpha Prema which
owns Formula One. Last year he also took over Championship football
club Queens Park Rangers with Renault team boss Flavio
Briatore.
The couple, who married in 1985, have two daughters, Petra, 19,
and Tamara, 24. -- AFP
