HOTELIER Helga Stoeckert yesterday lost her bid to get the $14-million balance in the account she used to share with her former lover, Paul Geddes, the late tycoon who once co-owned the famous Desnoes and Geddes brewery.

The money, which is in a joint account at the Royal Bank of Canada Europe Limited in England, became the subject of a legal battle between Stoeckert and Geddes’ widow, Marjie, two years ago.

Marjie Geddes (nee Piper), married Geddes in 1991, almost a week after he ended his 32 year-old relationship with Stoeckert, a German national. Piper was 36 at the time, Stoeckert was over 60.

The break-up triggered a bitter court battle which saw Stoeckert ultimately losing her bid for a half, or indeed any of Geddes’ assets, when the United Kingdom-based Privy Council dismissed her claim.

When Geddes died in June 1999, Marjie was named executrix of his $600 million estate.

It was in this capacity that she continued the legal battle that Stoeckert had commenced against her deceased husband.

A year after Geddes’ death, his widow filed an originating summons in the Supreme Court, asking the court to make a declaration that the estate was entitled to the balance in the joint account.

Yesterday’s decision will, according to local appellate court judges Ian Forte, F A Smith and Seymour Panton, be put in writing at a later date.

Until then, a stay of execution preventing Mrs Geddes from touching the account has been granted at the request of Stoeckert’s lawyer, Crafton Miller, pending the delivery of the written judgement.

It was not immediately clear yesterday whether Stoeckert would appeal the ruling.