Gaston Glock, Austrian gun tycoon, loses alimony battle

VIENNA (AFP) - The multi-millionaire octogenarian founder of Austrian handgun giant Glock has lost a lengthy legal battle over alimony payments to his ex-wife in the country's top court.

Two lower courts had ruled that Mr Gaston Glock, 84, did not have to pay any allowance to Ms Helga Glock, whom he divorced in 2011 after 49 years of marriage, because she was wealthy in her own right.

But Austria's supreme court has overturned the rulings, saying Ms Helga Glock's own financial situation was irrelevant, court spokesman Christoph Brenn told AFP.

"The plaintiff is entitled to make claims on the income of the ex-husband, just as is the case with normal levels of income," Mr Brenn said.

"The allowance level now has to be examined."

The court made the ruling on August 3 but was only delivered to the Glocks this week.

According to media reports, Ms Helga Glock is also involved in legal proceedings to obtain a stake in Glock the company, a major supplier to law enforcement agencies including the US police.

Mr Gaston Glock, one of Austria's richest people with a fortune estimated by Trend magazine in 2012 at around 550 million euros (S$926 million), divorced Ms Helga in order to marry a woman about 50 years his junior.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.