MOSCOW, Dec 30 (Reuters) – A probe by German prosecutors into alleged foreign trade law violations by EU-sanctioned Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov is closed, his lawyers in Germany said in a statement on Tuesday.
The investigation looked into an alleged payment of 1.5 million euros ($1.8 million) for security at two homes in the Bavarian lakeside community of Rottach-Egern between April and September 2022.
Prosecutors also claimed that Usmanov failed to declare jewellery, paintings and wines to Germany’s export control office, BAFA, in accordance with European Union sanctions rules. Usmanov has denied any wrongdoing.
Usmanov, who has a net worth of $18.8 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, is subject to EU and U.S. sanctions and a travel ban, which were imposed after the start of the war in Ukraine.
Usmanov’s lawyers said he had no links to the companies involved in the alleged payments nor did he own or control the properties in question, adding that the EU sanctions were not directly applicable to the probe. Prosecutors were expected to release a statement on the matter later on Tuesday.
His lawyers said it was agreed to close the case to save time and resources. They added that their statement had been coordinated with the prosecutors.
They said Usmanov had agreed to pay 10 million euros split between the German state budget and German charity groups as part of an arrangement to close the probe. They said that the payment was neither a fine nor a form of punishment.
In November 2024, German prosecutors dropped a money laundering investigation against Usmanov on similar terms.
($1 = 0.8491 euros)
(Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
Comments