Ullens trial: finance manager describes overstated fortune and permanent family tensions
The Walloon Brabant assize court heard the employee responsible for managing the finances of Guy Ullens, who described an estate far below the 3 billion euros mentioned by the Swiss press.
Ullens trial: an overstated fortune and family conflicts seen from within
The Walloon Brabant assize court heard, on Tuesday morning, the employee responsible for managing the personal finances of the couple formed by Guy Ullens and Myriam Lechien. According to lavenir.net, this professional not only described the true extent of the couple's fortune, but also the deep tensions that opposed Guy Ullens to his children.
The witness worked in the offices in La Hulpe at the time of the tragedy on 29 March 2023. She was called to Ohain within minutes of the murder of Myriam Lechien.
A fortune far from the 3 billion announced
The employee formally contested the valuation of 3 billion euros advanced by certain Swiss media to describe Guy Ullens's fortune. At his death, the latter's estate was estimated at 100 million euros — with significant reservations concerning the valuation of digital artworks.
"Some will tell you that it is worth nothing, others that it is worth the purchase price, and still others that Monsieur was a visionary and that it is worth a great deal of money," the witness clarified before the court.
In 2013, the couple's lifestyle generated annual expenses of 15 to 20 million euros. The witness had been tasked in particular with reducing these expenses. Liquidity problems occurred recurrently: the property in Ohain had been put up for sale, and a meeting had been organised with a cousin to obtain a bridging loan pending the proceeds from this sale.
"For Monsieur Ullens, anything lying around in cash was pointless," she explained. "His assets were always invested and as soon as a sale took a step back, we lost sleep. I struggled to explain to him that this was not sustainable. But for him, it was necessary to invest in concrete, grandiose things. It was in his DNA, he was an entrepreneur."
The most liquid part of the estate lay in art. Guy Ullens had built up a significant collection of contemporary Chinese art, which he had largely resold at spectacular profits for certain works. At the time of the events, he was seeking to replicate this scheme with digital art, with the ambition of building the world's largest collection in this field.
A contradictory discourse towards the children
On the family front, the manager described a Guy Ullens with contradictory discourse. "Monsieur always told me that his relationship with his children was very complicated. That it was difficult, always conflictual, that relations between them were limited to recriminations because he spent too much money, and they did not receive enough," she reported.
She also mentioned the comments of Myriam Lechien about the Ullens children. "Madame spoke a great deal about Brigitte and Nicolas by saying they were people who frightened her, but she did not speak of this in front of Monsieur."
According to the witness, Guy Ullens claimed not to want contact with his children, but adopted a completely different discourse when they were present. "He told us he did not want contact with his children but when he saw them, he did not hold that discourse. He said he was pleased to see them."
The Ullens children testify to years of suffering
Several members of the Ullens family also spoke during the hearing. The children of Brigitte Ullens described a lasting sense of exclusion and favouritism within the family since the arrival of Myriam Lechien.
"I think there was enormous emotional suffering for years. I attribute it to the place that my uncles and my mother lost with their father. There was a shift when Myriam arrived in the family," declared Olivia.
Her brother Edouard mentioned the case of Nicolas Ullens, the accused. "My mother and his brothers were very affected by this form of manipulation and exclusion from the family. Nicolas suffered greatly from it. He had a sense of injustice, I think he ended up seeing red."
Another family member reported a symbolic episode: Guy Ullens had informed him that there would be no Christmas that year, by decision of Myriam. Two weeks later, he called upon his catering company to organise the Christmas meal with the children of his partner. "He called on me just after depriving us of that Christmas," he reported.
The ex-husband of Brigitte Ullens read her written statement, she being absent from the hearing. In it she evokes a confession that the baron allegedly made on his deathbed, according to which "he knew the wickedness of his wife". Me Laurent Kennes, lawyer for the civil parties, expressed outrage at this passage.
Vincent, brother of Nicolas Ullens, also spoke. "Without condoning the violence, I understand how years of psychological distress, and a small financial side without pulling the wool over our eyes, led to this situation. There was clearly a difference between his two families, favouritism. We had become the filthy ones, it was unjust."
Nicolas Ullens is being tried for the murder of Myriam Lechien, committed on 29 March 2023 in Ohain. He stands before the Walloon Brabant assize court at liberty.
Source: Google News BE FR