It is almost impossible to imagine the sheer misery and desperation of a mother denied all contact with her young children

Mr Justice Munby

The �2.5m will be returned to the husband if he returns the children to the UK in compliance with earlier court orders.

The estranged couple had been married for 20 years and had five children.

Mr Justice Munby said, in the judgment given in January and made available on Tuesday, that Mr Masry had been "utterly misrepresentative and untruthful" about his wealth.

Mr Masry owned two family homes, at least 11 motor cars including a Rolls-Royce and three Mercedes, employs five domestic staff and pays for expensive private schools to educate his children.

He also has 27 bank accounts across the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Hidden wealth

"Not merely has the husband, deliberately as I find, failed to make full and frank disclosure of his assets.

"He has done everything in his power to remove or dispose of any property of which he believes the wife may be aware."

This is more than double the level of any previous reported awards made by the courts

Margaret Bennett, divorce lawyer

The wife's lawyers accepted that the true extent of Masry's wealth would never be known.

In the light of Masry's failure to give a proper picture of his business dealings Mr Justice Munby said he had had to draw his own inferences.

"If a figure needs to be put to it I would draw the inference, and do, that the full extent of the family assets is very comfortably in excess of �50m and probably significantly more."

Child's letter

When it came to the abduction of the children, two boys aged 16 and 14 and two girls aged 12 and 11, the judge said the husband's conduct had been described as "disgraceful".

He read a letter from the youngest daughter to her mother, in which she said: "I would rather be with you!

"Because I really love you and miss you so much! I would rather walk 10 miles in the blazing hot sun in the summer than not be with you."

Mr Justice Munby said: "It is almost impossible to imagine the sheer misery and desperation of a mother denied all contact with her young children.

"The husband's misconduct has been grave - very grave."

Later specialist divorce lawyer, Margaret Bennett, said : "As far as I know this is more than double the level of any previous reported awards made by the courts."