A master of half truth: the man who lied about wealth in £1.8m divorce The couple, who have two children aged 14 and 12, married in June 1994 but split up and were divorced in 2009. Although giving judgment in public after a private hearing the judge ordered their identities to be kept secret . The judge said the woman had "scant knowledge" of her former husband's assets and asked for full disclosure. But what he did disclose was "designed to throw her off the scent" , Mr Justice Coleridge said. Negotiations took place in a "highly pressurised environment" because she did not want him back in the house and he wanted a clean break and was worried about his status with the Inland Revenue, said the judge. She eventually agreed to accept a £300,000 lump sum and the family home worth £1.5 million making a total settlement worth £1.8 million. It was not until May last year that she discovered certain documents in the home that disclosed more about her former husband's business dealings. He had various property interests and was a shareholder in a company where he had told her he was just an employee. Another company he owned which she had never heard of also came to light. She began to suspect that the whole picture had not been made clear to her and asked for more information. But he insisted that he had no intention of providing any more and as far as he was concerned "a deal had been struck and properly struck," the judge said. His agreement to pay £9,000 a year for the children plus school fees was not affected. But the "picture painted to the wife was a false one and deliberately so," said the judge, and she was entitled to set aside the order and reconsider her claim. Whether she does any better is impossible to say. This victory may turn out to be a pyrrhic one," added the judge. But he ruled that she was entitled to reopen her claim and it was important that all financial details are presented in a simple, clear, concise and accurate way.