The former wife of one of Scotland's wealthiest businessmen was yesterday taken to court by an accountant who alleged she had broken an agreement to pay him thousands of pounds for his help in securing her multi-million-pound settlement.
Elaine Grossart won a reputed £2.3m from her husband Hamish Grossart, the chairman of the Royal Doulton pottery group, after Andrew Hamilton acted as a "professional expert", it is claimed.
Mr Hamilton is claiming nearly £8000 in fees from the tycoon's former wife.
The businessman, whose uncle is Sir Angus Grossart, founder of the Noble Grossart investment bank, is reputedly worth between £6m and £20m.
Mrs Grossart denied in court ever having a contract with Mr Hamilton's Edinburgh-based firm of chartered accountants Andrew Hamilton & Co. He said he did not like her husband because of his "gross bad manners".
Mr Hamilton admitted yesterday during evidence to the court that he broke money-laundering laws by waiving compulsory legal checks to take on Mrs Grossart as a client.
Mr Hamilton made the revelation during a civil court proof at Perth Sheriff Court. After he initially admitted breaking the law, Sheriff Michael Fletcher halted proceedings to warn Mr Hamilton about the dangers of incriminating himself in court.
Mr Hamilton continued to admit that he had acted illegally, and could now face a criminal investigation and sanction by the financial regulatory body.
His dramatic confession came during a hearing in which he claimed that he had acted as a "professional expert" for Mrs Grossart in her bitter divorce proceedings.
He told the court that he had waived the normal legal checks on Mrs Grossart because she was "emotional" and "distressed" and he did not want to upset her.
Mrs Grossart denied having a formal contractual relationship with Mr Hamilton's firm and confirmed that she had not signed any documentation about money laundering.
She said she had viewed Mr Hamilton as a friend with whom she had discussed her husband's "bad behaviour" prior to their divorce being finalised.
Correspondence before Sheriff Michael Fletcher reveals that lawyers working for Mrs Grossart were "suspicious" about the reported scale of the banker's real fortune.
The Grossarts were married in 1996 and had two children. A ruling on the dispute is to be made at a later date.
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