Marriage is a very important element of human existence and in some societies especially in Africa it is virtual a prohibition for couples to part ways.
Usually couples who divorce rarely gain much from it. They walk away with little financial gains but with much emotional pain.
In modern times however divorce has become an expensive exercise due to laws that seek to protect both couples.
During marriages, couples amass wealth by supporting each other and it is only fair that when that union is about to be let go, partners share in the pain and gain.
This week Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and his wife MacKenzie agreed to a record-breaking divorce settlement worth at least $35bn.
The couple announced in January that they would be parting ways.
Shortly after that announcement US media reported that it was triggered by an affair between Mr Bezos and a former Fox TV host Lauren Sánchez.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) April 4, 2019
What makes up the divorce deal?
Per the deal Ms Bezos will be keeping a 4% stake in the online retail giant, Amazon. That is worth $35.6bn on its own.
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in Seattle in 1994. Ms Bezos was one of its first employees when it was founded a year after their marriage.
With 4% percent stake in Amazon Ms Bezos would now become the world’s third-richest woman.
But Jeff Bezos 55, however remains the world’s richest person, according to Forbes rankings.
MacKenzie who is 48 is a novelist. The couple married in 1993 and have four children.
— MacKenzie Bezos (@mackenziebezos) April 4, 2019
Here are some of the world’s most expensive divorces
- Rupert Murdoch: The media tycoon was ordered to pay his second wife Anna Torv $1.7bn when their marriage ended in 1998
- Mel Gibson: The actor split his net worth of some $850m with his wife of nearly 30 years when they separated in 2009
- Madonna: The US singer paid her ex-husband, British film director Guy Ritchie, $92m to settle their divorce after eight years of marriage in 2008
- Silvio Berlusconi: The former Italian prime minister agreed to pay his estranged wife Veronica Lario €36m (£30m) a year when they divorced in 2012
(Credit to the BBC for the list of the other expensive divorces)
Source: Africafeeds.com
