Divorce of two MREs: where did the €1.4 million go?
The divorce of two Moroccans from the Netherlands turned into a financial puzzle before the Dutch courts. At the heart of the case: several properties, bank accounts and, above all, a €1.4 million loan whose use could not be established.
Both spouses hold Moroccan and Dutch nationality. Married in Morocco in 2006, they subsequently initiated divorce proceedings in Morocco and the Netherlands.
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The Moroccan courts granted their divorce on 7 September 2023. As this decision had become final, the Dutch courts recognized it. The division of the couple’s assets nevertheless remained to be settled.
According to a decision handed down by the Court of Appeal of The Hague on 3 June and published on 27 July 2026, the disagreements concern, in particular, several properties, bank accounts, two cars, including an Audi A4 in Morocco, as well as potential cryptocurrency holdings.
The wife wanted Moroccan law to be applied to the division of the assets. The court rejected this request. As the spouses established their first habitual residence in the Netherlands after their marriage, their matrimonial property regime is governed by Dutch law.
€1.4 million without sufficient explanation
The most striking point, however, concerns a €1.4 million debt claimed by the husband from one or more companies. He maintains that approximately €1.2 million was notably invested through an account before that sum disappeared.
But the explanations provided did not convince the court. The husband failed to sufficiently demonstrate what the €1.4 million had been used for, while his wife disputes the very existence of this debt, as stated in the decision of the Court of Appeal of The Hague.
More broadly, the court considers that the two former spouses failed to provide a sufficiently complete overview of their assets and debts. It therefore refuses to divide the assets itself and upholds the previous decision on this point.
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The proceedings initiated in Morocco nevertheless have a direct consequence in the Netherlands. To determine which assets and debts still belong to the matrimonial community, the court uses 22 September 2022 as the relevant date—the day on which the wife filed her divorce petition in Morocco. As these proceedings began before those initiated in the Netherlands, this date marks the end of the community of property.