Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov seems to be aware that things aren't as bleak as they once seemed after former federal judge Thomas Fischer concluded that two Frankfurt prosecutors committed a criminal offense by distorting the course of justice against the former Facebook investor.
After sanctions were imposed and his mega yacht Dilbar was seized in 2022, based on claims by public prosecutors, heavily armed forces raided the empty villas at Lake Tegernsee where Usmanov had resided. There, officials discovered not one, but four fake Fabergé eggs.
A few weeks later, German investigators seized rare paintings worth $5 million from the seized $600 million mega yacht Dilbar, owned by the art-loving businessman. In May 2023, the Frankfurt Regional Court declared the searches illegal, based on mere assumptions. The Frankfurt District Court and the Public Prosecutor's Office in Cologne filed criminal and disciplinary charges against the investigators. Georg Ungefuk, spokesperson for the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office, told BILD: "I can confirm that the relevant department of our institution has received a complaint against the prosecutors involved in the investigation against the 70-year-old businessman from the Russian Federation. A decision on the complaint has not yet been made."
With no case forming against the oligarch, there is a strong possibility that he could regain his beloved 512-foot-long home on the water. In August 2023, the sanctioned billionaire sued the German government for violating his human dignity. It seems that the ball is now truly in his court.
