The Munich prosecutor’s office agreed to close a case opened against billionaire Alisher Usmanov over suspected possible violations of Germany’s foreign trade laws on the condition of a €10 million payment. Both the prosecution and the businessman’s lawyers confirmed that Usmanov instructed that the full amount be paid. This was reported by podrobno.uz.reports.
According to Reuters, the investigation was linked to suspicions that €1.5 million may have been paid between April and September 2022 for security services for two houses located in the resort village of Rottach-Egern in Bavaria.
The prosecution also claimed that, under EU sanctions rules, Usmanov failed to provide Germany’s Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) with information about jewelry, paintings and a wine collection. Usmanov denied all allegations.
His lawyers said their client is not connected to the companies mentioned in the suspected payments and that the listed property does not belong to him. The defense also stressed that EU sanctions do not apply directly within the scope of this case.
Of the €10 million to be paid, €8.5 million will go to the Bavarian budget. The remaining roughly €1.5 million will be transferred to the Opferhilfe Bayern foundation and to Bavaria’s association for work with prisoners and probation.
Lawyers noted that the payment does not amount to an admission of guilt and does not отменить the presumption of innocence. The Munich prosecutor’s office also confirmed that the payment will not be treated as a fine or punishment and that proceedings will be discontinued once the funds are received.
The statement said that once the payment is made, it will not be possible to reopen an investigation against Usmanov over the same circumstances.
It is noted that in November 2024, German prosecutors also closed a review into suspected money laundering involving Usmanov under similar terms.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Alisher Usmanov’s fortune is estimated at $18.8 billion. He is under EU, Canadian and U.S. sanctions and is also subject to an entry ban introduced after the outbreak of hostilities around Ukraine.
As a reminder, in April this year Alisher Usmanov was listed for the first time in the Forbes ranking as a representative of Uzbekistan.
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