The court appointed official in charge of recovering money for Bernard Madoff's investors is suing Ruth Madoff for more than $44m (€31.2m), claiming she lived a "life of splendor" on the gains from the fraud perpetrated by her husband.

Irving Picard, the court appointed trustee, yesterday sued Ruth Madoff, 68-years old, for at least $44.8m, saying she "knew or should have known" that vast sums of money she received from her husband's investment firm -- Bernard Madoff Investment Securities, or BLMIS, -- rightly belonged to the firm and to her husband's customers.