German court orders return of illegally seized property to Russian oligarch Usmanov
Earlier, investigators confiscated documents and 30 paintings worth 5 million euros
The Frankfurt am Main court has ruled that it is illegal to keep the property and documents seized during a search of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.
Source. This was reported by the Russian media with reference to the businessman's press service.
The court ordered the German Prosecutor General's Office to return all the seized property to Usmanov.
Searches in the properties of Usmanov and his relatives in Germany took place in September 2022 as part of a money laundering investigation. The police searched several of Usmanov's villas in Tegernsee, an apartment near Frankfurt am Main, and the superyacht Dilbar in the port of Bremen. Investigators confiscated documents and 30 paintings worth €5 million.
In May 2023, the Frankfurt am Main Land Court declared four search warrants for Usmanov's property illegal as part of a money laundering investigation. The businessman's lawyers demanded that the seized documents and property be returned to him.
"On October 26, 2023, the district court of Frankfurt am Main granted these demands. Thus, it was established that the retention of the seized property by German law enforcement agencies is illegal, should be terminated, and the relevant items should be returned to their last known owners," the businessman's representatives said.
The judge noted that despite the fact that the searches of Usmanov's property were recognized as illegal, the Frankfurt am Main Prosecutor General's Office continues to hold the seized property of the businessman. Usmanov's press service believes that the German prosecutor's office is deliberately holding his property despite the court ruling.
The searches of Usmanov's property were conducted in connection with the businessman's charges of money laundering. Investigators hoped to establish that Usmanov resides in Germany and is obliged to pay taxes. The German authorities assume that the Russian businessman has failed to pay taxes worth at least EUR 555 million since 2014.
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