Raid against Alisher Usmanow: Bavarian authorities in action

The confidant of Vladimir Putin is said to owe the German state more than 500 million euros in taxes. The billionaire businessman has been in the investigators’ sights for months. Now his real estate on Tegernsee has been stormed.

Usmanov’s yacht “Dilbar” is detained in Germany.

Finnbarr Webster/Getty

Does the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov owe the German state more than half a billion euros in taxes? Hundreds of officers were on duty at various Usmanov properties in Bavaria on Wednesday morning to find evidence. In addition to tax evasion, he is also accused of violations of the Foreign Trade and Payments Act and money laundering. Several German media reported on the process at the same time.

According to information from the “Spiegel”, Usmanow is said to have evaded income and gift taxes totaling around 555 million euros between 2014 and 2022. Apparently, the authorities consider the entrepreneur to be taxable in Germany. Because since 2014 Usmanow is said to have stayed mostly at Tegernsee. The Bayerische and Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk report that Usmanow has not submitted a tax return in Germany since 2016, despite regular lengthy stays in his house in Rottach-Egern. According to media reports, Usmanov is currently abroad.

Over 250 officers on duty

The responsible Munich II public prosecutor’s office does not want to comment further because of the ongoing investigations, but announced that four other suspects were being investigated in addition to Usmanov. A total of 24 objects in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg would be searched for this purpose. A total of around 250 officers are deployed. Usmanow is accused, among other things, of having his property in Upper Bavaria guarded by a security company even after he was included in the EU sanctions list on February 28.

By paying for these security services, however, he violated the prohibition on disposing of frozen funds. The other suspects are accused by the public prosecutor’s office of having aided and abetted the violation of the Foreign Trade and Payments Act by providing the security services or supporting them and accepting payment.

Usmanov is considered a confidante of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The picture shows both in 2018 in the Kremlin.

Usmanov is considered a confidante of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The picture shows both in 2018 in the Kremlin.

Reuters

The authorities had been investigating undercover against Usmanov for months. The Putin confidante has made a huge fortune, especially in the metal industry. It is estimated at around $14 billion.

Usmanow had already had trouble with the German authorities. A few months ago, his yacht “Dilbar”, estimated at around 500 million euros, was arrested in Hamburg. The ship is not nominally owned by Usmanov, but is said to be owned by his sister Gulbahor Ismailova. Like her brother, she has now been sanctioned, which is why the yacht is actually no longer allowed to leave the port of Hamburg.

Because the ship, which originally came in for general overhaul work, was blocking a dock at the shipyard, the authorities have now allowed it to be moved to Bremen. However, the ship had to be towed during the night on Wednesday because it is currently not allowed to be operated of its own accord and with its own crew. It is unclear how the ship, which is over 150 meters long, will continue.

Germany passed a so-called Sanctions Enforcement Act in support of EU sanctions after the Russian attack. Since May, sanctioned Russian citizens with property in Germany have been obliged to report their assets to the German authorities. It also allows the authorities to confiscate assets until the ownership situation is clarified.

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