Branislav Kostic’s bonkers bequest

Both the mainstream media and leading blogs have picked up on Henderson J’s judgment in the Chancery Division of the High Court, ruling invalid Branislav Kostic’s will, in which he left millions of pounds to the Conservative Party. Here’s the judgment.

The judge’s ruling, put into the language of the 19th century case of Banks v Goodfellow which laid down the test for testamentary capacity, was that an insane delusion influenced his will.

Which reminds me of an interesting podcast in which Lord Owen suggests that some leaders like Margaret Thatcher in her final Kostic phase, or Tony Blair, really do suffer from mental illness.

The Kostic case is also a bit interesting as an example of a case involving the Attorney General in her public interest role independent of government. A charity must have been involved somehow.