( CNN ) -- It 's being called the most expensive divorce in the history of ... well , marriage . Russia 's Dmitry Rybolovlev , 47 , earned the dubious honor when Geneva , Switzerland 's Court of First Instance last week ordered the 47-year-old billionaire to pay his wife , Elena , about 4 billion Swiss francs , according to CNN 's French affiliate BFM . That 's a little more than $ 4.5 billion ( little being a relative term ) . The couple was married for 23 years but have been engaged in divorce proceedings since 2008 , BFM reported , citing the Swiss daily newspaper Le Temps . Rybolovlev , who owns the French soccer team AS Monaco , which finished second in Ligue 1 this season , is No . 148 on Forbes ' list of billionaires . His estimated worth is $ 8.8 billion , according to Forbes . Known lately for real estate moves -- including the purchases of a $ 300 million penthouse in Monaco and a $ 98 million Palm Beach , Florida , mansion owned by Donald Trump , along with his daughter 's purchases of an $ 88 million New York apartment and the Greek island of Skorpios -- Rybolovlev made his original fortune in fertilizer , according to Forbes . He and his father , a scientist , started their business in 1990 , and Rybolovlev began buying shares of industrial enterprises in 1992 , Forbes reported . In 1995 , he was named chairman of the board of Uralkali , Russia 's top producer of potassium fertilizers , Forbes said . He sold his stake in Uralkali for $ 6.5 billion in 2010 and procured a controlling stake in AS Monaco the following year . The divorce puts Rybolovlev in rarefied company , as only French businessman and art dealer Alec Wildenstein and Bernie Ecclestone , the top dog in Formula One racing , have been reported to shell out more than $ 1 billion in divorce proceedings . 11 intriguing things owned by wealthy Russians . World 's 'most expensive divorce ' set to halve oligarch 's fortune . CNN 's Tara Kangarlou contributed to this report .
Dmitry Rybolovlev ordered to pay his wife , Elena , more than $ 4.5 billion , report says . Comment: Dmitry and Elena Rybolovlev , both 47 , have been married 23 years , according to reports . Russian billionaire made his original fortune with Uralkali , a Russian fertilizer company .