Russian multimillionaire loses battle over exclusive London property The purchase was made solely in Mrs Slutsker's name, possibly because Mr Slutsker had not wanted a "paper trail" linking him to the house, the judge suggested. The businessman, who became a member of the Russian parliament's upper house and was described by Forbes magazine as a supporter of President Vladimir Putin and a peer of Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch and owner of Chelsea FC, is also said to be a social activist. His glamorous ex-wife, meanwhile, has been hailed as a "big-shot entrepreneur" unafraid of flexing her muscles. The World Class brand, which she established in 1991, became Russia's biggest chain of gyms. She set up a trust that owns the London property for the benefit of her children and huge sums were spent on refurbishing the house, reportedly adding another £34 million to its value. But keeping Mr Slutsker's name out of it has left him empty-handed. Mr Justice Underhill said: "It is entirely plausible that the ownership of substantial offshore assets should be a sensitive matter to Russian politicians. On balance I incline to the view that one reason at least for Mr Slutsker's non-involvement with the arrangements for the trust was indeed that he did not want to have a paper trail linking him to [the house] in the light of his political ambition. He suggested that Mr Slutsker had not "taken the trouble" to understand how the trust arrangements might work in the event of the marriage breaking down and ruled that, while it might at first sight seem "harsh," the husband had no rights to the property. Mrs Slutsker had already won a battle in Russia for custody of her children last year. Mr Justice Underhill said in his judgment: "Neither struck me as a reliable witness." Mrs Slutsker's evidence was "often unhelpfully broad-brush," while Mr Slutsker "committed himself to dogmatic statements" which were "generally implausible and often demonstrably wrong," he said.