Divorce - money transfer

[Iwonder08]

Hello,

I am asking for a friend who is in a tricky position. Her husband is emotionally and financially abusive. She is Sahm to a 2 yo child, no income of her own. Her husband is on lower end of 6 figures. She finally got enough courage to divorce him, however she wants to find a job first.
She has reasons to believe he is planning to take the cash savings from his account (they don't have a shared account) and give it to his parents so she won't get anything in divorce. She thinks he might file for divorce first.
Question: if he moves the money before either party applies for divorce, would it count as deliberately hiding assets or only cash movements done after the divorce application will be considered?

During my divorce we had to provide several years of bank statements so I think it would be covered.

Yes, it would be a deliberate attempt to hide money. In a financial order, both parties are legally obliged to declare all income. However, in order to get herself ready when she does finally leave, she should gather as much evidence as possible such as bank details, pay slips, savings account details. That way it’ll be easier for her to prove his lies if he tries to squirm his way out of things.

Oh and I’d be reminding my in laws that if they colluded in this, they’d not be seeing their grandchild any time soon!

If he attempts this the courts can set aside the gift to his parents and proceed on the basis that the money is still his. This applies whether the gift is made before or after the start of divorce proceedings.

That was very helpful, thanks everyone