Businessman Claims He Set ₹5 Cr Ablaze To Avoid Paying His Ex-Wife The Divorce Settlement

A separation between couples can sometimes turn out to be really ugly. After years of marriage, if a couple decides to part ways, chances are things aren’t very cordial between them. One such separation that probably ended on a bitter note made a Canadian business go beyond extreme to avoid sharing his hard-earned money with his ex-wife.

The 55-year-old businessman, Bruce McConville was ordered to pay his ex-wife Rs 5 crore as a divorce settlement. But Bruce believed, setting his cash on fire was a better choice than letting his wife reap benefits of his investments. So he allegedly decided to do so!

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In the next trial after 30-days, Bruce admitted that he sold the properties behind his ex-wife’s back, withdrew 1,050,000 in all from six different bank accounts through 25 different withdrawals. He kept receipts of the transactions, which amount to about $790,000 USD, as proof for the court, reports NY Post. And, he allegedly set the cash ablaze!

Bruce told the court that he did not film his cruel act of setting the cash on fire, neither does he have any eye-witness, Ottawa News reported. But he has claimed that he actually burnt the cash. When the judge exclaimed that he is finding it hard to believe Bruce said, “It’s not something that I would normally do.”

“I am not a person that is extremely materialistic. A little goes a long way. I have always been frugal. That’s why my business lasted for 31 years,” he explained.

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Just like most of us, the judge did not buy Bruce’s claims and sent him to a 30-day term at the Innes Road jail. He stated that Bruce “has very clearly and deliberately set out to thwart the court and the proper administration of justice.”

“You are making a mockery of this court, and its process, something I will not allow … You are conducting yourself with intent to deliberately and wilfully frustrate the proper administration of justice,” the judge added.

“You have set out to do damage to your children’s future by destroying, on purpose, the financial wherewithal that you had to provide for their best interests,” he said.

Bruce has been ordered to present the proofs of where the cash of Rs 5 crore actually went before the court within 30 days. He will also have to pay a fine of $2,000 (Rs. 1 Lakh) daily to his ex-wife.

The judge told Bruce, “It may well be, therefore, that your remaining assets, equity in the home and RRSPs, etc., end up entirely in the hands of (ex-wife). If that’s the result you are trying to bring about, then so be it. But you cannot thumb your nose at the court as you have done.”

True revenge or a scam? What are your thoughts on Mr. Bruce’s story? Tell us!

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